Faithful City boy
Prized defender Syazwan rejects suitors to stay with KL
PETALING JAYA: Kuala Lumpur’s prized defender Syazwan Andik Ishak is being pursued by two teams but the national player is unfazed by their interest.
His impressive performance for Malaysia during the recent AFF Suzuki Cup has generated much interest in the Johor lad but he insists he will honour his contract with Kuala Lumpur.
That’s music to KL’s ears as injuries to Indonesian centreback Achmad Jufriyanto (ankle) and new signing Khair Jones (Achilles tendon) have put the City Boys on the backfoot in their preparation for the 2019 M-League season.
Coach Yusri Che Lah has lauded Syazwan’s commitment to the team although there were reports of two teams looking to sign him.
“But he wants to stay with us and continue helping the team.
“It’s really good news for the team as we now have two of our centrebacks injured,” said the former international.
“I hope their injuries are not serious and they can recover quickly.
“Fixing the defence for the new season is one of my targets because the team conceded the most goals in the Super League last season.”
He hopes the other players will be able to step up in the absence of the injured players as he also has plans to reshuffle his line-up.
Fixing the defence for the new season is one of my targets because the team conceded the most goals in the Super League last season. Yusri Che Lah
KL still have defenders – Hisyamudin Sha’ari, Zaiful Abdul Hakim, Firdaus Faudzi, Hafiz Johar and Fitri Omar – in their ranks and their next warm-up match against derby rivals Selangor on Saturday will be the right test for the players to prove their mettle.
“The transfer window closes on Jan 20 but we can’t be hasty in replacing the injured players,” said the 42-year-old coach.
“Besides that, I think we still have options and I can even shift our Japanese midfielder Ryutaro Karube to the defence.
“Our next game with Selangor will be crucial to seeing how the team react to adjustments I have planned.
“I want to see how the team play when we lose possession and I hope the players can show me they can execute what we have been doing in training.”