Al-Emarat Al-Youm learned that although the addition of the three European professionals, namely Mackenzie Hunt, a player for the English club Fleetwood, Adly Mohamed, a goalkeeper for the English club Southampton, and striker Junior Ndaye, a striker for the French club Montpellier, came as a surprise to the sports community in the country, in fact, this trio had been subject to technical follow-up by the competent authorities in the Football Association for more than a year, with the aim of including them in the national team that is currently preparing to play its matches in the third round of the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, as the Emirati Whites will begin their journey in these qualifiers against their counterpart, the Qatari national team, the day after tomorrow (Thursday) at Ahmed bin Ali Stadium in the first round of Group One in these qualifiers, while the national team will play its second match against its counterpart, the Iranian national team, on the tenth of the same month at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain, noting that the Whites had launched a training camp in Abu Dhabi since last Saturday.
The selection of the national team’s technical staff for this trio of European professionals was a big surprise to the sports community in the country, which did not know any previous information or indications about the three players, but is now awaiting their official appearance in the white shirt, as it is expected that the joining of these players, along with Al Ain Club defender Kwame Kwadwo, will constitute a great technical addition to the national team.
The three players belong to families that have lived in the country for years, but they got the opportunity to play professionally in the European leagues, and gained great experience that qualified them to join the national team and wear the white shirt.
The trio are expected to make their debut for the national team in their upcoming match against Qatar next Thursday, having participated for the first time yesterday in the national team’s training after arriving in the country recently. Junior Ndaye (19 years old) plays in the attacking line for the French team Montpellier, while Mackenzie Hunt (22 years old) plays in the midfield, while Adly Mohamed (19 years old) plays as goalkeeper.
On the other hand, Al-Emarat Al-Youm learned that the national team coach, Paulo Bento, will be satisfied with the presence of 28 players out of the 30 who were on the list, after excluding Shabab Al-Ahli players Sultan Adel for not being fully prepared, and Mohammed Jumaa for joining the honorable national service.
The team, described as the “Dream Team,” held its third training session yesterday at the New York University Stadium on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi, following its internal gathering starting last Saturday.
The team will leave for Doha tomorrow morning (Wednesday) via Abu Dhabi International Airport, where it will conduct its main training session on the same day at 8 pm at Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium, which will host the match.
A positive atmosphere prevails among the national team during the current internal camp among the players, based on their keenness to make an honorable appearance at the beginning of their journey in these qualifiers.
For his part, former member of the Football Association Board of Directors and sports analyst Dr. Salim Al Shamsi described the addition of Mackenzie Hunt, Junior Nday and Adly Mohamed to the national team as a great addition, considering that their obtaining Emirati citizenship is a natural thing, since their families are from the communities that resided in the country, but at the same time they got opportunities to play professionally in European leagues to develop their technical levels, indicating that he hopes that these players will provide the required technical level during their expected appearance with the national team officially.
Saleem Al Shamsi told Al-Emarat Al-Youm: “We thank the UAE Football Association for this positive initiative by including these three professionals in Europe in the national team, which is awaiting an important event in the third round of the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.”
Al Shamsi pointed out that the joining of this trio opens the door to benefiting from football talents from residents of the country, as well as those born in the country, whether they are current players playing in the first and second divisions, or other talents that can provide the desired addition to the national teams according to the conditions of the International Federation of Football Association.
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