Zaven Khudaverdyan absent from both Armenia U20 and U21 squads despite 52 call-ups

Armenia’s U20 and U21 teams are preparing for their upcoming training camps and matches. The published squads include 52 players in total, but Zaven Khudaverdyan, the 19-year-old Noah player, is absent from both. His omission stands out given his appearances for the first team of the Armenian league leaders.

Khudaverdyan has played in seven of Noah’s eight Armenian Premier League matches this season and scored twice. One of those goals was the winner: in August, he struck an acrobatic effort to secure a 1–0 victory over BKMA. For a player eligible for the U20 side, that is a strong case for a call-up. Sportaran reported on Khudaverdyan’s winning goal.

Khudaverdyan is also missing from the Armenia U21 squad. With Narek Hovhannisyan absent and Vyacheslav Afyan injured, his versatility could have given the coaching staff another attacking option. Davit Harutyunyan, Petros Alekyan and Sergey Manukyan, who have played more minutes in the Premier League, have been called up. The squad also includes players with less experience at that level than Khudaverdyan.

The U20 squad includes a number of players from clubs’ reserve teams. Khudaverdyan, meanwhile, is regularly getting minutes for Noah’s first team, which has won all eight of its opening league matches.

Club statistics alone do not determine selection: coaches also consider players’ roles, fitness and the needs of particular matches. So far, however, there has been no explanation for Khudaverdyan’s absence from both squads.

The issue is particularly striking after senior national team coach Yeghishe Melikyan recently called on clubs to give young Armenian players more opportunities. Noah is giving Khudaverdyan playing time at the top level, yet he has received no youth national team call-up. His only appearances for Armenia at any age level remain two matches for the U15 side in 2022.