FURD
Former Sharrow United goalkeeper Naveed Ahmed has been selected for the Pakistan national football squad for their Asian Cup qualifiers.
Naveed from Fir Vale in Sheffield was one of a trio of England-based footballers to have been invited to Pakistan for a special two-week training camp at the end of January.
The 23-year-old was joined by fellow English-based players in defender Zesh Rehman, on-loan at Norwich from Fulham, and Huddersfield midfielder Adnan Ahmed for the trials in Islamabad.
"The international training camp was an incredible experience and I can´t believe I have been picked for the squad - it really is a dream come true," said Naveed.
"The sessions were very intense and after the first weekend of trial matches, some of the players didn´t make the cut and were sent home, which really forced me to up my game. The standards were raised again in the second week with training sessions twice a day."
Naveed was one of four keepers to be picked for the squad out of those on trial.