Bangladesh midfielder Hamza Choudhury arrived in Dhaka on Monday morning to join the national team for the SAFF Championship.

Although he missed Bangladesh’s opening match against Bhutan, Hamza is expected to join the squad ahead of its second group-stage fixture against Sri Lanka.

His English club, Sheffield United, was not obligated to release him before the first match because the FIFA international window had not yet begun. The club also had a fixture during that period, preventing Hamza from travelling to Bangladesh.

However, the November FIFA international window began on Monday, making clubs obliged to release players for national-team duty. As a result, there were no further obstacles to Hamza joining Bangladesh.

The midfielder is expected to take part in the national team’s training session on Monday afternoon. Bangladesh will train at ABG Sports City ahead of its final group-stage match against Sri Lanka on November 11.

Bangladesh have already secured a place in the semifinals. The hosts booked their spot in the last four with a match to spare after defeating Bhutan in their opening fixture and Sri Lanka and Bhutan subsequently playing out a draw.

Hamza’s arrival is expected to further strengthen the Bangladesh squad ahead of the clash with Sri Lanka.