Mr Nice Guy Regan has no qualms about turning into Dr Jekyll on the field

PETALING JAYA: There’s a Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde in the Red Giants football team.

He comes in the form of 1.86m captain Taylor Regan (pic) . On the pitch, he’s a menacing Aussie who will ride roughshod over opposing players. Away from the field, the 31-year-old is an affable guy with his banters and pranks.

And he readily admits that he is ready to return to the field soon.

All teams are allowed to train again starting tomorrow to prepare for the scheduled restart of the Super League in September.

The centreback still relishes the physical aspect of his game, although he has to reduce the intensity because of the standard operating procedures set by the Malaysian Football League for training to resume.

First on the agenda for Regan is to avoid tackles and body charges for the time being.

“It will be weird having to distance ourselves in training. But it’s an important thing for everyone to adhere to. But I’ll return to ‘real’ tackling very soon. I promise that,” joked Regan who played for Adelaide United and Negri Sembilan in the past.

“I am very excited to get on the training field again. I’ve remained inside and did workouts every day. I have always been an outdoor person, so it’s been tough.

“I miss the interaction with the boys on the field and the changing room. These are the enjoyable parts of professional football.”

Coach B. Sathianathan has warned the team that whoever puts on more than two kilos in weight could be fined.

“Coach Sathia and fitness trainer Khairul Anwar Md Isa want us to have the required level of fitness when training resumes.

“I am sure we will all be fine. The boys have been working hard, even during Raya,” enthused Regan.

The Super League will be played over one round instead of two because of the Covid-19 disruption. Selangor are sixth with five points after four games.

With seven matches left when the league resumes, Regan believes they can still go for a top three finish.

“My expectations have not changed. I am my biggest critic and I know what I need to do. As a team, we have to stick together. People always want us to fail. But I refuse to fail without fighting as hard as I can.”