TEHRAN – Reza Enayati was officially named coach of Iran U23 football team on Sunday.

The media reports suggest that Iran national team coach Amir Ghalenoei has recommended the 46-year-old coach for this position.

Enayati has most recently worked as coach of Naft Masjed Soleyman and failed to keep the team in Iran Professional League.

Afshin Ghotbi, Mehdi Tartar, Mohammad Rabiei, Mojtaba Hosseini and Mohrram Navidkia were also shortlisted to lead the team.

The former Iran and Esteghlal forward will coach the team in the 2024 AFC U23 Asian Cup qualification.

The competition will be held from Sept. 4 to 12 in Qatar.

The 2024 AFC U23 Asian Cup will act as the AFC qualifiers for the 2024 Paris Olympics men’s football tournament.