The head coach of the Iranian national football team, Amir Ghalenoei, believes that generational change is an integral part of football, but player selection for the national team will always be based on merit, assessing athletes by their technical and tactical skills.
Currently, the Iranian national team is in Basra, Iraq, where it is set to participate in a tournament involving four teams.
Ghalenoei, who included several young players in his latest squad, explained that the coaching staff initially planned to introduce more youth during the previous international break.
He noted: 'We also intended to create this opportunity during the last FIFA international window, but due to the overlap with competitions in Nagoya, the plan was postponed to the upcoming window.'
The coach emphasized that players who previously played for the national team remain in the team's plans. He added: 'If they are in good shape and meet the necessary technical standards, age will not be a decisive factor.'
Furthermore, Ghalenoei announced that the coaching staff intends to give younger players more opportunities in the current and subsequent international windows as Iran prepares for the upcoming AFC Asian Cup.
'Our goal is to give young players more chances to play so that, approaching the Asian Cup, we can form a squad that combines youth and experience, and be better prepared for the competition.'
Stressing that selection will depend on performance and abilities, Ghalenoei concluded: 'The national team is a place for the best players. Generational change is a natural part of football, but the most important principle is that any player demonstrating excellent technical and tactical qualities deserves a spot in the national team.' He also added: 'We have currently decided to create more opportunities for young players, but this does not mean that experienced players will be ignored.'
