Dinesh to miss Newspaper Cup due to accident

KUALA LUMPUR: Pahang leftback R. Dinesh will miss the action in the Under21 Newspaper Cup from Dec 10-19 following a minor accident.

Except for Dinesh, 29 other players reported for the Under-21 national football team’s centralised training at the Wisma FAM in Kelana Jaya on Thursday.

National Under-21 head coach Datuk Ong Kim Swee said Dinesh would not be part of the tournament in Nah Trang City as he needed to focus on his recovery.

“Everyone, except for Dinesh, reported for training without any fitness issues. The centralised training will be held until Dec 9,” said Kim Swee.

“During that period, we’ll be playing a practice match with FAM League side Selangor United on Dec 6 and we will decide who will be part of the 20-men squad on Dec 7.

“The players I have selected for the centralised training have potential but they lacked experience in international tournaments.

“For me, it’s too early to evaluate these players. I’ve seven days to monitor these players and also the match against Selangor United to finalise the list.”

Several top players from the Malaysian Super League – Kelantan’s Nik Akif Syahiran Nik Mat, Pahang’s Mohd Faisal Abdul Halim and Johor Darul Ta’zim’s Dominic Tan Jun Jin – are part of the squad.

The team will fly to Vietnam on Dec 10 and return on Dec 19. Malaysia last took part in the Newspaper Cup in 2014 and won the Cup in 2012 under the tutelage of Kim Swee, who helmed the Harimau Muda set-up that year.