Ronan the answer to senior team’s striker void?

SAFF U-20 champions Bangladesh returned home yesterday
amid a festive mood, with a trophy parade from Hazrat Shahjalal International
Airport to the Hatirjheel Amphitheatre on an open-top bus -- a grand reception
reminiscent of those previously hosted by the Bangladesh Football Federation
for the history-making women’s national and futsal teams.
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While securing a second regional youth title is
a significant milestone, the campaign’s true revelation was Ronan Sullivan. The
US-born forward, hailing from the Philadelphia Union Academy, enjoyed a dream
debut in the red and green that exceeded all expectations.
The 18-year-old striker consistently impressed
throughout the tournament. From his clinical brace against Pakistan to his
vital assist for the winner against Nepal, Ronan proved his worth. However, it
was his audacious Panenka in the high-pressure final shootout -- taking the
fifth and decisive penalty -- that provided the ultimate evidence of the
big-game temperament and technical confidence required for international
football.
With the Bangladesh senior national team currently
starved of genuine goal-scorers, former national player-turned-coach Shafiqul
Islam Manik believes Ronan’s promotion to the senior squad should be considered
sooner rather than later.
“Ronan deserves a call-up in the trial camp of the
national football team if we want to fill up the long lacking of a genuine
striker in the senior team,” Manik told The Daily Star yesterday.
“He has performed really well in the number nine
position of the Bangladesh U-20 side, having good movements in the attacking
third, along with good shooting and free-kick ability,” added the experienced
AFC A-licence coach.
“As there is no opportunity to see him in the
Bangladesh Football League, Ronan can be tested by giving him a chance in the
national team’s training camp and FIFA international friendly matches.”
Drawing a parallel with US-based Zayyan Ahmed, Manik
noted that while Zayyan initially struggled in trials, he proved his quality
with the U-23 side before earning a senior call-up.
“We should make room for Ronan because 18-year-old
footballers also play in the national team at the world level. I think he has
the possibility to click for the national side, though the level of the U-20
and national team is not similar,” said Manik, adding that Ronan should follow
a similar developmental path to the one laid out for Zayyan.
Just two months prior to this tournament, it was not
even certain that Ronan would represent Bangladesh. Ronan, for his part, has
already set his sights higher. “Senior team, that’s the goal,” he said after
the final.
Manik also urged the football authorities to actively
create space for overseas-based forwards. He noted that homegrown attackers
currently face an uphill battle to secure starting spots in the domestic league
due to the heavy influx of foreign signings in the Bangladesh Football League.
















