Birkirkara’s Ryan Camenzuli is one of four Malta U-21 players in Pietro Ghedin’s initial squad for next week’s friendly against Jordan.Birkirkara’s Ryan Camenzuli is one of four Malta U-21 players in Pietro Ghedin’s initial squad for next week’s friendly against Jordan.

Malta coach Pietro Ghedin has signalled his intent to inject fresh blood into his squad by naming four Under-21 players in his provisional list for the friendly match against Jordan this coming Wednesday.

Floriana right-back Emanuel Briffa, Ryan Camenzuli, the Birkirkara wing-back, Valletta’s in-form midfielder Llywelyn Cremona and Luke Montebello, the Tarxien Rainbows striker, are on Ghedin’s 23-man roster for next week’s warm-up, being played at the Maltepe Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey.

Ghedin’s willingness to draft a host of upcoming youngsters who have been in fine form in the domestic league meant that some of the established players have been dropped.

As Malta will travel to Istanbul on Monday with a 20-man squad, Ghedin has left out Birkirkara goalkeeper Justin Haber in favour of Valletta’s Henry Bonello while Hibs captain Andrew Cohen has also failed to make the cut.

Ghedin is expected to wait until after Saturday’s Premier League games before finalising his squad as there are still question marks over the fitness of Sliema Wanderers striker Michael Mifsud and Valletta midfielder Roderick Briffa who have missed their teams’ last two games due to injuries.

Qormi striker Terence Vella is back in contention for a place in the squad after scoring two goals in his last two games.

The friendly against Jordan materialised following talks between Malta FA president Norman Darmanin Demajo and Prince Ali bin al-Hussein, the head of the Jordan FA who is standing for FIFA president.

At the Malta FA AGM in July, Darmanin Demajo described the friendly as an occasion to com-memorate the friendship bet-ween the two associations and a sign of solidarity with Prince Ali for his bold decision to challenge outgoing FIFA chief Sepp Blatter at the last election.

Fenech has surgery

Missing from the squad for the Jordan game are Valletta defender Jonathan Caruana and Ryan Fenech, the Balzan midfielder.

Caruana is still recovering from the groin injury that ruled him out of Malta’s last four Euro 2016 qualifiers while Fenech yesterday went under the knife at a German clinic to cure a hernia problem.

The 29-year-old midfielder, who has yet to make his first appearance for Balzan in the Premier League since joining them from Valletta last summer, is expected to be out for another two weeks.

Provisional squad

Goalkeepers
Henry Bonello (Valletta); Andrew Hogg (Kalloni).

Defenders
Andrei Agius (Hibernians); Steve Borg (Aris Limassol); Emmanuel Briffa (Floriana); Ryan Camenzuli (Birkirkara); Ryan Camilleri (Valletta); Zach Muscat (Birkirkara); Clayton Failla (Hibs); Joseph Zerafa (Birkirkara).

Midfielders
Roderick Briffa (Valletta); Llywelyn Cremona (Valletta); Gareth Sciberras (Birkirkara); Paul Fenech (Birkirkara); Andrè Schembri (Omonia Nicosia); Rowen Muscat (Birkirkara); Bjorn Kristensen (Hibernians); Clyde Borg (Floriana).

Forwards
Michael Mifsud (Sliema Wanderers); Luke Montebello (Tarxien Rainbows); Terence Vella (Qormi); Alfred Effiong (Balzan).

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