Rayyan look to make wholesale changes
AL RAYYAN manager Nasser Al Malki said the club was in a state of transition.
There are strong indications that legendary players Ali Ishaq and skipper Osman Ajab might soon call it a day and with their main libero Suleiman Saeed yet to recover from a career-threatening knee injury, Al Malki admitted that it would be a new-look Rayyan team next season.
“Everybody spoke about our weakness this season. But you’ve to see that we could never field a full-strength squad in important matches due to fitness concerns.
“We’ve many talented youngsters coming up and I think you’ll see a lot of them stepping up to the senior level next season,” Al Malki said.
Ali and Osman have been the pillars of Rayyan as well as the national team for almost a decade, but now their appearances have been limited.
“Rayyan have always contributed a bulk of players to the national team. When the selectors sit together to pick the squad, they first look to Rayyan. I’m sure it’ll continue to be so in future as well. The average age of our players is less compared to other clubs in the Qatar League. We invest a lot in youth and it might take a while for the results to come,” he added.
