Safiq Rahim and his Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) teammates Aidil Zafuan, Amirulhadi Zainal and S. Kunanlan will need to prove their worth after their return from international exile, according to the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).
The JDT quartet have been included in Nelo Vingada's 26-man squad to face Lebanon in Group B of their opening AFC Asian Cup qualifier on June 13.
"Their performances will be reviewed just like every other player, and if they do not perform it does not mean they will stay," said FAM secretary general Datuk Hamidin Amin through an official statement.
The foursome abruptly announced their international retirements after last June's Oceania tour, leaving then-national coach Datuk Ong Kim Swee missing some of his most consistent performers ahead of the biennial AFF Suzuki Cup.
Without them, Malaysia lacked penetration, and crashed out in the group stages in Myanmar.
But with JDT's royal owner, the Crown Prince of Johor taking over as FAM president in March, they performed an about face. New assistant national coach Tan Cheng Hoe has recommended the quartet to Portugal's Vingada, who arrived in Malaysia on May 23.
"It is best to let Cheng Hoe pick the team, considering the limited time Vingada has to identify his own selection," Datuk Hamidin said.
"Once the Malaysia Super League (MSL) and Malaysia Cup have started, I'm sure Vingada will be able to pick out his best selection." All 11 JDT players, including the returning quartet, will report for national duty after their AFC Cup ASEAN zonal semifinal, second leg, against Ceres-Negros of Philippines, on Wednesday night.
The first 15 players reported for centralised training on Monday.
Among them are five familiar faces from Tan's former club Kedah, who won the FA Cup after a 3-2 triumph over Pahang in the May 20 final. They are Rizal Ghazali, Syazwan Zainon, Khairul Helmi Johari, Akram Mahinan and Baddrol Bakhtiar, who bagged a brace in that final.
The latest squad has a youthful look about it, with 17 players below the age of 30.
The Portuguese's veterans are the former JDT duo of 36-year-old Amri Yahyah, and Safee Sali, 33, who could lead Malaysia's the line against the Lebanese.
The other forward in the team is JDT's former Selangor hot shot, Ahmad Hazwan Bakri.