Omar Abdulrahman declared fit to lead UAE Asian Cup charge

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  • Inspiring presence: Omar Abdulrahman has been credited with a shrewd footballing mind, often creating chances where there appear to be none.

    Star playmaker Omar Abdulrahman is fit enough to lead the UAE’s Asian Cup assault after being named in Mahdi Ali’s 24-man preliminary squad.

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    Abdulrahman, 23, has not kicked a ball competitively since picking up a badly-bruised right ankle in last month’s Gulf Cup semi-final defeat to Saudi Arabia.

    Despite this three-week lay-off, the Al Ain schemer will travel to Australia for January’s prestigious event. 

    Coach Ali has made six changes to the roster that was selected for the Saudi Arabian tournament. Controversial Ahli goalkeeper Majed Nasser heads the list of recalls, with centre-back Hamdan Al Kamali recovering from a hamstring injury to feature once more.

    The key absentee is Wahda veteran Ismail Matar, who is expected to be out for three weeks with a neck injury picked up during a collision with Ahli defender Basher Saeed on Monday.

    “Omar Abdulrahman is fine, his doctor reports he has started jogging,” Ali said. “He needs five to seven days to get back to full fitness; Amer Abdulrahman as well has a minor knock and should recover.

    “This is not the first time we’ve approached a competition with injuries. The new players aren’t really new to the squad, they’ve
    been around and we have seen the return of Majed Nasser who has been through some tough times recently. We wish him the best.

    “As I have said before, the ultimate target has always been getting to the World Cup in 2018 and our second target is to get to the last four in Australia.”

    Al Shabab midfielder Hassan Ibrahim, Bani Yas winger Haboosh Saleh, Al Wasl striker Saeed Al Kathiri and Al Wahda front man
    Salem Saleh complete the list of call-ups.

    A final 23-man squad will be selected before the crucial opener against Gulf Cup champions Qatar on January 11. The Whites’ final two Group C fixtures are against Bahrain on January 15 and World Cup finalists Iran on October 19.

    Nasser’s inclusion follows a hectic start to the season which saw him successfully appeal against a six-month ban and Dh200,000 fine for reportedly spitting at referee Yacoub Al Hamadi during October’s 1-1 draw against Al Ain.

    The incident was the latest in a long line of shocking moments for the 31-year-old, who has won 61 caps for his country. Ali revealed he a spoke at length with Nasser before naming him in the roster.

    “Before we announced the squad I went to Al Ahli and sat down with the player and we discussed the matter,” he said. “We want to give him a second chance.

    "He promised to abide by our rules and training regimes, and that he will keep out of trouble. We want to benefit from his  presence and it’s a chance for him to prove that he is up to the responsibility.”

    The UAE rarely flickered into life during their failed Gulf Cup defence last month. Ali insisted his charges were fired up for the meeting with Qatar, which he believes is the “key to this competition”.

    He said: “I have received three or four calls from the players, they are really motivated for this competition. That makes me very happy, it is the first time they are calling me to tell me they want to do good things.

    “It is a strong group, we will do our best to qualify from the group. The first game against Qatar is the key to this competition.”

    UAE Squad in full: 

    Goalkeepers: Majed Nasser, Ali Khaseif, Khalid Essa

    Defenders: Mohammed Fawzi, Abdulaziz Haikal, Abdulaziz Sanqour, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohamed Ahmed, Ismail Ahmed, Mohanad Salem

    Midfielders: Ismail Al Hammadi, Hassan Ibrahim, Majed Hassan, Khamis Esmail, Habib Fardan, Amer Abdulrahman, Haboosh Saleh, Mohamed Abdulrahman, Omar Abdulrahman

    Forwards: Ali Mabkhout, Ahmed Khalil, Salem Saleh, Saeed Al Kathiri

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