Club scouts from all over the world are in Qatar to run the rule over the players from 16 teams who are taking part in the January 7-29 tournament.

One of these “hunters” is Andrew Fedorov, the former Uzbekistan and Neftchi (Ferghana) defender who now scours the world for hidden talent, primarily for the European leagues.

“My main goal is to find talented performers,” Fedorov told afcasiancup.com.

“It is no secret that Asian football has been progressing rapidly over the past two or three years.

“The ultimate aim is to find more Asian players for Europe and, in particular, for Russian clubs.

As an Uzbek, Fedorov has naturally looked closely at his own team in the finals. The Uzbeks have qualified for the quarter-finals by finishing on top of Group A with two wins and a draw.

Among the players who have impressed Fedorov are Odil Ahmedov and Bakhodir Nasimov.

“Uzbekistan are a good team,” he said. “I did not see any serious errors in the way they are organised. I was told that the defence has some drawbacks but the midfielders played closely with the defenders and helped them out.

“Each player stuck to their tasks. They played well as a team and as individuals.”

Ahmedov scored a stunning long-range goal against hosts Qatar in Uzbekistan’s first match and Fedorov said: “He is 23 years old and this is the age when a player’s abilities start to shine through. He has left a good impression.”