PJ City coach Maniam full of praise for youngster Ruventhiran

PETALING JAYA: He’s only 20 and already V. Ruventhiran (pic) is making heads turn with an impactful performance for Petaling Jaya City in the Super League.

A sterling show against Penang at the Petaling Jaya Stadium on Sunday has even got coach P. Maniam enthusing about the potential of the talented winger.

After coming in for D. Kugan, Ruventhiran had the ball in the net in the 39th minute for the Phoenix to take the lead.

Penang’s Casagrande made in 1-1 in the 49th minute and that’s how the game ended.

“When Ruven came on for Kugan, we knew what he could do. He has already played five games with us and we can see that he is learning from every game,” said Maniam.

“I think it is good to see him in the team because it shows that we give opportunities for youngsters to play. I hope he grows as a player with us and I only wish him the best in the future.”

Maniam said though they lost two points, he was proud of the effort shown by his boys.

“We did well in the first half as we penetrated Penang’s penalty box 17 times. It shows that we are improving game by game in terms of build-up plays.

“However, we lost concentration in the second half and against a side like Penang, you will be punished. They have a team who play for their coach (Thomas Trucha).

“But I am still proud of my boys because they did well to get the point. We are showing to critics that we can compete against the big boys.”

Meanwhile, Trucha said his Panthers need to be more focused if they want to win matches.

“We had possession and we created the chances but we need to score. We have to rectify this aspect of our game,” said Trucha.

“PJ City played well and we did not do enough to earn a win but still I believe we are doing the right things.”

Penang are fourth in the league with 16 points while PJ City are seventh with 11 points.