TAKING THE YOUTHFUL APPROACH
Kim Swee may play with two young guns
HADI Fayyadh Razak and A. Shivan Pillay are among the youngest in the national Under-23 training squad but that does not mean they should fear coming up against older players.
At 17, Hadi and Shivan will be facing opponents up to five years older if they make the final cut of national youth coach Ong Kim Swee’s side for the AFC Under-23 Championship in China next month.
K. Thivandran, Akhyar Rashid and Nik Akif Syahiran Nik Mat are all 18 and also in contention to make the final 23-man list.
“Based on their age, the gap is big. But I believe Hadi has good physical attributes and I am sure he can match up well against older players,” said Kim Swee prior to training at Wisma FAM yesterday.
“At the same time, it would be a good learning experience for these players if they are chosen, especially when they return to the under-19 side.”
Kim Swee, however, said there is no guarantee that these young players would play against Malaysia’s Group C opponents Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Jordan in China.
“They still have to go through the training process including the friendly matches we have planned here and in South Korea,” said Kim Swee, whose side will be tested first against Petaling Jaya Rangers on Dec 9.
“From there, I believe they will improve from game to game. But we should not get ahead of ourselves in thinking that they will automatically be first-choice players if they are selected for the final squad.
“I might use them as substitutes, depending on our strategy. I hope that they can use this opportunity to their advantage and if they are good enough to get into the first XI it would be good exposure for them.”
At the AFC Under-19 Championship qualifying round in South Korea last month, Johor Darul Ta’zim II forward Hadi scored three goals while Akhya, Nik Akif and Shivan each scored once.
Following friendlies against PJ Rangers and Melaka, Kim Swee will drop four players from the 30-man training squad to take to South Korea before cutting the side down to 23 ahead of the tournament in Jiangsu, China.