When October comes
Wan Zack still traumatised by serious knee injury
PETALING JAYA: Winger Wan Zack Haikal Wan Nor is worried whenever it’s October.
It was in October 2013 that he suffered a serious knee injury – tearing his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).
And since then, he has been struggling to regain his old form.
Wan Zack, while admitting to still being traumatised by the injury, is glad that he’s finally hitting form.
“I’m glad to be at this level and it’s all due to my hard work. I’m still traumatised though every time October comes around. I feel anxious because that was the month I picked up the worst injury of my career,” he said.
There have been signs of a revival judging by his appearance from the bench in the 1-1 draw against Hong Kong in the home leg of the 2019 Asian Cup Group B qualifiers in Melaka on Sept 5.
His display showed that he is slowly but surely getting there.
In fact, he feels that he’s ready to fight for a starting spot when Malaysia play Hong Kong in the away tie at the Hong Kong Stadium on Oct 10.
Coach Eduardo Vingada’s men are last in the four-team Group B of the Asian Cup qualifiers, with just a point from two matches.
Lebanon lead the group with seven points, while North Korea and Hong Kong are tied on two points from three matches.
The Harimau Malaya face a must-win match and Wan Zack reckons that the team have it in them to get full points off the islanders.
“I want to get back into the starting XI, but the competition is so much tougher now. I still have a lot of catching up to do but I believe I’m on the right track to being the player I was before my injury,” said the former Harimau Muda player.
“I believe we can beat Hong Kong. It doesn’t matter who plays in the match. As long as we give our best and stick to the game plan, we can get the result we want.
“I’ve been in good form in the M-League. So I hope I can convince the coach to pick me to start.”
The Maran-born player broke onto the local football scene by winning the Best Young Player Award in the M-League in 2011 and the S-League in 2012. He then picked up the Most Valuable Player award at the Merdeka Tournament in 2013.
His good form earned him a contract with Japanese Third Division club Ryukyu FC, but the knee injury picked up in training cut short his stint there.
He returned to Malaysia to recuperate from the knee surgery and signed with Kelantan in 2014. However, his three-year stint with the east coast side saw him struggling to recapture his old form.
The 26-year-old then joined Felda United in a last-ditch effort to resurrect his career. He seems to have finally hit the jackpot as he helped the Fighters reach the semi-finals of the Malaysia Cup despite scoring just one goal from 15 appearances.