Omar Abdulrahman has been included in the UAE squad for this summer’s training camp in Austria - the first get-together with new manager Bert van Marwijk.
The Al Hilal playmaker, 27, has been out of action since knee surgery last October, but returned to training earlier this month. Van Marwijk sought assurances from Hilal that Abdulrahman’s rehabilitation had been going well before including him in the 27-man list.
The former Al Ain captain, the 2016 Asian player of the year, is the only player from outside the Arabian Gulf League to feature in Van Marwijk’s first squad, which will meet in Salzburg from July 13-22.
No Al Wahda players have been selected given the Abu Dhabi club contest the last 16 of the Asian Champions League in early August.
The Olympic team, however, will also have a camp in Salzburg at the same time, so that Van Marwijk can assess the Under-23s ahead of January's 2020 AFC U23 Championship in Thailand, the final round of qualification for the Tokyo Olympics.
The nine days in Austria will mark the beginning in earnest of preparations for qualification for the 2022 World Cup.
The UAE, who have only once previously reached the global finals, open their campaign on September 5, and will have another qualifier five days later. The draw for the second round of qualification – as a seeded side, the UAE enter at this stage – takes place in Doha on July 17.
The second national team camp is scheduled for August 24-September 10 and will encompass the first two qualifiers. The location of the camp is still to be determined.
Bert van Marwijk announces first squad as #UAE manager. Big news is that Omar Abdulrahman included, after given assurances about Al Hilal playmaker’s fitness. pic.twitter.com/taOi5DCxge
— John McAuley (@_JMcAuley) May 25, 2019
