ESPN: Team Melli needs to add more young talent
(7 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading...Tasnim – TEHRAN, The Iran national football team needs to add further young players to its aging squad to compete at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Quite clearly, this was the best chance for Iran’s golden generation to claim a long-awaited maiden appearance in the World Cup knockout round — and it ultimately fell short with just a win over Wales and defeats to England and the US.
Only five members of the 2022 World Cup squad will be aged 30 or below come 2026 — with only Saeid Ezatolahi and Majid Hosseini being able to consider themselves as members of the current starting XI.
Star striker Sardar Azmoun could still be a valuable contributor at the age of 31, but other key players like Mehdi Taremi, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, and Morteza Pouraliganji might be in the twilight of their careers by then, espn.com reported.
Team Melli does have a steady production line of promising young talent, so it might be imperative that Abolfazl Jalali, Allahyar Sayyadmanesh, and Mehdi Ghayedi all start receiving more exposure as soon as possible.
