Aidil Zafuan ready to share experience with young players

KUALA LUMPUR: Harimau Malaya captain Mohd Aidil Zafuan Abdul Radzak is ready to share his experience with young players if they are called up to wear the national jersey in the crucial 2022 World Cup/2023 Asian Cup second round qualifiers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in June.

Aidil Zafuan, who is suitably impressed with the quality playing skills displayed by several young players such as the sensational young striker Luqman Hakim Shamsudin who is now with the Belgian club, K.V. Kortrijk, as well as two rising stars of Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) team, Ramadhan Saifullah Usman and Arif Aiman Mohd Hanapi, said his experience may be useful especially when facing a strong team.

"In terms of experience, they may be lacking and we, as seniors, may 'guide' them with what we have gained thus far," he said.

He said this after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine under the National Immunisation Programme in Putrajaya recently.

Commenting further, the 33-year-old who has made over 80 appearances with the national squad since 2008 said, the experience he gathered, especially tips when playing against a strong team in the international match can be shared with these young players.

On Monday, head coach Tan Cheng Hoe said he had identified several new faces after shortlisting 38 players in preparation for the challenge in the UAE.

Luqman Hakim and Ramadhan Saifullah are among new faces who were called to undergo the national squad's centralised training camp in Johor in March.

Meanwhile, Aidil Zafuan also described the two warm-up matches against Kuwait on May 23 and Bahrain (May 28) as the Football Association of Malaysia's (FAM) best game plan to assess the team's real ability before the real challenge in the UAE.

Based on the FIFA rankings, Kuwait is currently ranked 148th while Bahrain is ranked 99th, with Malaysia is at 153rd.

Malaysia will face host UAE on June 3, before facing Vietnam (June 11) and against Thailand on June 15 in the Group G title race, to hunt for an automatic slot to the finals of the 2023 Asian Cup and advance to the third round of the qualifying campaign to compete for a slot at the 2022 World Cup.

-- BERNAMA