The ongoing uncertainty over his club future has cost midfielder Rowen Muscat a place in Malta’s squad for the opening 2018 World Cup qualifier at home to Scotland and the preceding friendly against Estonia on August 30.
Muscat has only been conspicuous by his absence from Birkirkara’s Europa League games this season and watched their 4-0 win over St Andrew’s in their BOV Premier League opener last Friday from the stands amid reports that the 25-year-old has fallen out of favour with the club’s hierarchy.
Malta coach Pietro Ghedin took a dim view of Muscat’s lack of playing time this season by leaving him out of his 20-man squad for the Estonia warm-up and the Scotland clash on September 4.
The Italian coach is a strong admirer of Muscat who was one of Malta’s stand-out performers in the Euro 2016 qualifiers but the latter’s failure to sort out his club future since his return from a short loan spell with Italian club AC Pavia left Ghedin with no option but to omit him from his squad.
The towering midfielder had been hopeful of securing a move back to Italy this summer with reports suggesting that Pisa, who were promoted to Serie B last season, were tracking him but the transfer failed to materialise.
Birkirkara’s tough stance on Muscat is somewhat surprising in light of their decision to hand him a new, lucrative four-year contract last summer after his eye-catching performances in the Europa League games against West Ham United prompted interest from some foreign clubs.
Apart from Muscat, who is coveted by Valletta and Gżira United, the other notable omission from Ghedin’s squad is Justin Haber.
With Ghedin now limited to 20 players instead of the usual 23, the veteran goalkeeper, who last week rejoined Floriana from Hibernians, has missed out on selection as the Malta coach opted for Andrew Hogg and Henry Bonello.
Bonello, the Valletta goalkeeper, started Malta’s last two games, the friendly defeats to the Czech Republic (0-6) and Austria (1-2) in May, while Hogg is making a return after putting his club career back on track following his switch to Hibernians in the close season.
Birkirkara midfielder Ryan Scicluna has been called up by Ghedin who has decided to make do without a host of upcoming players, the likes of Ryan Camenzuli, Llywelyn Cremona, Luke Montebello and Cain Attard, as these have been included in the provisional Malta U-21 squad for the UEFA Group One qualifier against Belgium at the Hibernians Stadium on September 2.
Luke Gambin, who is on the books of English League Two club Barnet, is in line to add to his two Malta caps as the diminutive winger is on Ghedin’s 20-man list for the Estonia friendly and the home qualifier against Scotland early next month.
After hosting Scotland at the National Stadium, Malta face England at the Wembley Stadium on October 8 followed by another away qualifier against Lithuania on October 11.
The other teams in Group F are Slovakia and Slovenia.
Malta squad
Goalkeepers: Andrew Hogg (Hibernians); Henry Bonello (Valletta).
Defenders: Andrei Agius (Hibs); Jonathan Caruana (Valletta); Zach Muscat (Arezzo); Steve Borg (Valletta); Ryan Camilleri (Valletta); Clifford Gatt Baldacchino (Gżira United); Joseph Zerafa (Birkirkara); Clayton Failla (Hibernians).
Midfielders: Paul Fenech (Balzan); Roderick Briffa (Valletta); Gareth Sciberras (Birkirkara); Bjorn Kristensen (Hibs); Luke Gambin (Barnet); Ryan Scicluna (Birkirkara).
Forwards: Andrè Schembri (Boavista); Alfred Effiong (Balzan); Michael Mifsud (Valletta); Jean Paul Farrugia (Sliema Wanderers).