Amirol a valuable asset for Asiad squad, thanks to his versatility

KUALA LUMPUR: Versatile Muhammad Amirol Aideed Mohd Arshad is making his Asian Games debut and is a valuable asset to the team.

National chief coach Stephen van Huizen said Amirol was included because he has the ability to play in all three positions in the team.

“He is an asset as he has the ability to play in multiple positions in defence, midfield and also as a striker,” said Stephen.

The Kuala Lumpur-born player made his team debut in the Asia Cup in Dhaka, Bangladesh, last October where he played as a forward and scored a goal.

Malaysia finished runners-up in the tournament after losing to India 2-1 in the final.

Amirol was supposed to play in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh in March but was unfortunate to be involved in a motorcycle accident and injured his foot.

He recovered and featured in the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast in April and played as a forward and also in midfield.

Amirol, who went to Perth with the national team to play five friendly matches against the Australian national team last month, said he started his career as a forward.

“But gradually, I have learnt to play in midfield and also in defence.

“I am happy with my ability to play in multiple positions in the team.

“Although I lacked international exposure as I only played in two tournaments, I vowed to give my best in the Games.

“My aim is to play well in all the three positions in the Games,” said Amirol.

“The Asian Games is an important assignment for us as the gold medallist will gain automatic qualification for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.”

Malaysia have not featured in the Olympics since 2000 in Sydney.

Malaysia are ranked 12 in the world and are the second highest ranked team in the Asian Games after defending champions India, who are ranked sixth in the world.

For the Asian Games, Malaysia are drawn in Group B with Pakistan, Oman, Bangladesh, Thailand and Kazakhstan while India are drawn in Group A with South Korea, Japan, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong and Indonesia.

Malaysia’s best ever result in the Asian Games is winning silver in Guangzhou in 2010.