However, Hougang United midfielder Shahdan Sulaiman still feels excited by his inclusion in the provisional 30-man squad for the upcoming tournament.
The 36-year-old moved one step closer to being called up for his seventh Asean Championship – also known as the Asean Mitsubishi Electric (ME) Cup – after Lions coach Tsutomu Ogura announced a squad comprising entirely of players from the Singapore Premier League (SPL) on Nov 30.
The final 26-man list will be released on Dec 6.
Shahdan, whose last international appearance came in November 2023, told The Sunday Times: "It's always an honour to be called up, don the national jersey and play for the country. But it's a bit of a surprise because I was not in coach Ogura's last few squads.
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