Malaysia's Junior Eldstal (Putera Nadher Amarhan) celebrates with goalkeeper Syihan Hazmi after winning 4-2 against India at the Merdeka Tournament at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil, October 13, 2023. — GLENN GUAN/The Star
KELANA JAYA: Has national football coach Peter Cklamovski chosen the best players for Malaysia’s game against Vietnam?
There were room for questions when several names were missing from Cklamovski’s latest 38-man list for the the crucial third-round Group F 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers against regional rivals on June 10 at National Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
Eyebrows were raised when names like Johor Darul Ta’zim’s (JDT) Junior Eldstal and Nathaniel Shio Hong Wan were included although these players had limited game time in the domestic season.
Centreback Eldstal, 33, did not feature in the Super League this season and has only played once each in the FA Cup and Malaysia Cup.
His teammate, midfielder Nathaniel, 24, has similarly struggled for minutes after returning from injury – registering just 13 appearances in all competitions during the 2024-25 season.
The in-form Pahang duo - centreback Adam Nor Azlin and defensive midfielder Ibrahim Manusi did not make the cut.
Of the 38 players called up, 25 had been retained from the squad that faced Nepal on March 25.
Cklamovski, however, stood firm on his decisions, offering a spirited defence during the squad announcement at the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) headquarters yesterday.
“Junior has been training hard every day. I observe JDT and other clubs closely and what matters to me is the intensity and hunger I see in those sessions. He’s got that,” said the Australian.
“Hong Wan has been back in training for a few weeks and looks sharp. This is a chance for him to show what he can do and re-establish himself in the national setup.”
Cklamovski, who previously faced similar questions when picking JDT winger Mohamadou Sumareh for his first camp, assured that all decisions were made with a long-term plan in mind and encouraged those dropped to keep pushing.
“Just look at Fergus (Tierney). He wasn’t selected for the game against Nepal, but now he’s back in. My message to all players is – stay positive, keep improving. Your chance will come,” he said.
“I’m aware of Adam and Ibrahim’s performances and they will remain under my radar for future selections.
The centralised training camp that will start on Sunday will be conducted in three phases.
The first batch of 28 players will report for duty first and a second group of eight — including regulars like JDT centreback Matthew Davies, striker Romel Morales and winger Arif Aiman Hanapi will join on May 25, while Buriram United defender Dion Cools and Portimonense midfielder Hector Hevel will join on June 1.
The squad will train in Johor Baru from May 18 to 26 before shifting base to Kuala Lumpur to complete preparations.
“This is a unique situation. We’re one of the few national teams dealing with a longer off-season, with our league ending earlier than most but we will make the best out of it,” Cklamovski noted.
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