Grimsby Town’s Otis Khan could finally make his long-awaited debut for the Pakistan football team after holding positive discussions with the relevant figures.
Otis Jan Mohammed Khan qualifies to represent Pakistan through his late grandfather.
The 27-year-old attacking midfielder was previously set to make his debut for the country in 2015 during a friendly against Afghanistan but missed the match after visa and vaccinations issues.
He then turned down subsequent offers from Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) in order to pursue a career with the England national team which did not pan out.
“Last time I was only 17 or 18 but they’ve been talking to me again and it’s definitely something I’d like to do,” he told BBC Radio.
“There’s World Cup qualifiers coming up for them and the Asian competitions as well.
“I’ve spoke to Zesh Rehman, who played for them a number of times, and he’s been really helpful and given me a lot of advice over the years.”
Otis Khan will not be the first English-Pakistani to represent the Pakistan football team if he does so.
Zesh Rehman played for Pakistan 25 times between 2005 and 2019 while making appearances for Fulham, QPR and Bradford making him the first person of Pakistani descent to play in the Premier League.
Otis, meanwhile, has represented a litany of clubs in the lower English leagues after starting with Manchester United’s youth system, going on to score 38 goals in 261 appearances altogether.
Pakistan is currently ranked 194th in the world, between Djibouti and the Cayman Islands while battling legal issues to keep their association with FIFA from falling apart.
