Bangladesh will miss Ronan Sullivan in the upcoming SAFF tournament after an injury ruled him out of the squad.
A source within the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) confirmed to local media that Sullivan will not travel to Bangladesh for the tournament.
The young forward played a key role in Bangladesh’s second SAFF Under 20 Championship triumph. His performances earned him a first call to the senior national team under head coach Thomas Dooley.
Sullivan was due to leave the United States for Bangladesh on Saturday. However, the injury forced him to cancel his trip.
Dooley had included Sullivan in his planned 28 member squad for the tournament. His absence has now left the coach with another problem in attack.
Bangladesh are already dealing with several fitness concerns ahead of the competition. Defender Bishwanath Ghosh has yet to regain full fitness, while Sheikh Morsalin has recently recovered from a fever.
Dooley resumed training on Sunday morning after giving the players a break on Saturday. He has yet to arrange a full practice match between two groups of players.
Bangladesh will also have to prepare without Hamza Choudhury and Farhaan Ali Wahid before their November 5 match.
Meanwhile, Fahamedul Islam, who plays in Italy, has yet to report to the national camp. With Sullivan unavailable and several other players yet to reach full fitness, Dooley faces a difficult task in preparing his squad for the tournament.
