The experienced defensive midfielder sees the two upcoming friendlies against Nepal as a great opportunity for the youngsters to prove themselves.
Jamal Bhuyan, who featured in only one of Bangladesh’s last three matches against India, Bhutan, and Singapore — that being the friendly against Bhutan where he assisted Hamza Choudhury’s goal — is eager to make an impact this time. In the Asian Cup qualifiers against India and Singapore, he remained on the bench.
Ahead of the two matches against Nepal on September 6 and 9, Jamal opened up during a training session on Wednesday, expressing his frustration about missing two important matches previously. Head coach Javier Cabrera plans to use these friendlies to prepare the squad for the Asian Cup qualifiers in October against Hong Kong and India, giving experienced players like Jamal sufficient game time.
For the eight U-19 players currently in the camp, these matches are also a golden chance to showcase their talent. The 35-year-old Jamal is optimistic about regaining full fitness before the games.
“Training is going well here. I’ll be fit. Inshallah, we will win in Nepal. This time, we can win. Those who get the chance must perform. Who will play — that’s up to the coach. I only played one of the last three matches and assisted against Bhutan. Whether I’ll play in the next match depends on the coach, but of course, missing two matches didn’t feel good.”
Jamal also reflected on his passion to play regularly:
“As a footballer, I always want to play. It’s natural in football — there will always be competition. Even in your field, there’s competition too, right? Our team is already young. For them, this Nepal tour is a great chance to perform in front of the coach.”
Coach Cabrera expressed frustration over not having Bashundhara Kings players in the camp yet, and Jamal agrees it could affect the team, though he avoided elaborating on the matter:
“Of course, it will have some impact. But those who are here are training well. Anyway, this is between Bashundhara Kings and the BFF, not me.”
