Kim Swee won’t rush Luqman into SEA Games action
PETALING JAYA: National Under23 coach Datuk Ong Kim Swee has no plans to rush teen star Luqman Hakim Shamsuddin into action at the Philippines SEA Games next month.
The 17-year-old Luqman, who will join Belgium’s first division side K.V. Kortrijk next year, recently appeared on The Guardian’s list of the world’s 60 best young footballers for 2019.
Kim Swee said the Kelantan player is on his preliminary call-up list but his spot is not guaranteed in the final 20-player squad.
“His selection in the final squad depends on how he performs in training and friendlies,” said Kim Swee.
“We know he has the potential to play at a higher level, but we should not rush him as he has only played at the Under-19 level.
“This is a different ball game, we need to give him time to play with the Under-23 or senior team in the right way.
“Rushing him may affect his growth as a footballer.”
Malaysia’s bid to win the SEA Games gold medal received a boost after they were drawn in a relatively easy Group A with hosts the Philippines, Myanmar, Cambodia and Timor Leste.
Defending champions Thailand are in Group B with Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei and Laos.
The competition will take place in Manila from Nov 26 to Dec 9.
Kim Swee, however, warned against underestimating their opponents.
“On paper, it looks easy but I’ve been in the game for a long time and I won’t look down on our rivals. The gap between the teams will be narrowed by the inclusion of two overaged players and this will surely benefit the hosts, who have top senior players,” he added.
Kim Swee added that centralised training will begin on Nov 4 with 25 players and they are scheduled to play friendlies against a local and a foreign team.
He will only finalise his squad after the national team’s 2022 World Cup-2023 Asian Cup Group G qualifying match against Indonesia on Nov 19.
In the women’s competition, Malaysia are drawn in Group A with the hosts and Myanmar. Group B consists of Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia.
Their matches will be played from Nov 28 to Dec 9.