KARACHI, Aug 24: Penalty corner striker Imran Warsi has failed to impress coach Manzoorul Hassan in the short training camp despite ostensibly recovering from a nagging shoulder injury, but he is still likely to get a place in the squad for the forthcoming event.

“He [Imran] is still there from where he left. His performance in the training camp is the same which was six months ago and he was still unimpressive in penalty corner strikes. As a full-back, he is below par and can’t tackle an opponent who allows the attacker to enter the circle without resistance,” Manzoor told Dawn on Friday at Hockey Club of Pakistan.

The Olympian, who has been given charge of the national side along with manager-cum-chief coach Islahuddin Siddiqui, said although Imran had been playing as a regular member of the team, he lacked the firepower and spark which should be a hallmark of a senior player.

“What I mean is that Imran has been our main penalty corner striker, but a player should show consistent brilliance after representing the country at so many major events. That’s not been the case with Imran,” the dejected coach said.

Manzoor, however, said it would not be appropriate to say that Pakistan could heavily rely on the full-back, but there were no better options available.

“If we see any budding youngster at the national championships or any other event who can impress with his potential, we will certainly try him out,” he said.

Imran was not the member of the Good Luck Beijing tournament squad that returned from the four-nation event with third place after he opted to rest because of shoulder injury which has been creating problems for him for quite some time.

While representing his department, NBP, he also missed some of the crucial President’s Gold Cup matches in Karachi in June owing to the shoulder injury. Although he appeared in the four-nation tournament in Moscow earlier this year, he later skipped the Beijing event to recover from the injury.

As Pakistan are preparing for the Dec 1 to 9 Champions Trophy in Lahore and the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, their build-up might be hampered if the full-back’s injury reoccurs and team management doesn’t prepare a reliable standby short corner striker.

While Manzoor is far from satisfied with Imran’s performance, sources said Islah has been putting his weight behind the injury-plagued full-back.

Although Imran’s comeback is imminent, Manzoor said there might be no changes in the squad that featured in the Beijing tournament.

“There may or may not be changes in the squad. There might be an addition but I feel it will be better if the current squad is retained,” said Manzoor.

Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) secretary Khalid Mahmood is expected to visit the camp on Saturday — the day on which changes or addition will be made. PHF had announced a joint squad for the Beijing event and Asia Cup in Chennai which starts from Aug 31. The team management has been empowered to make changes for the Asia Cup.

Forward Yasir Islam, who staged a comeback in Moscow after remaining out for two years, is also expected to hold his place in the squad despite the three stitches he received after injuring his chin on the opening day of the camp.

However, Rashid Imran is a better choice as the right-in is not only physically fit but he also has the spark to deliver.