Megumi keeping himself fit for Super League restart

Ryutaro Megumi

PETALING JAYA: Be prepared, the motto popularised by the Boy Scouts of America, is the adage Felda United’s Japanese winger Ryutaro Megumi will be adopting when Malaysian football is relaunched in September.

Going by reports of injuries to players when the Bundesliga was restarted last week, the 26-year-old Megumi who joined Felda this season, has already taken the necessary precautions to avoid being caught in the same predicament.

Borussia Dortmund’s wing wizards Thorgan Hazard and Giovanni Reyna, TSG Hoffenheim’s Sebastian Rudy and Ihlas Bebou and Schalke 04’s Jean Clair-Todibo were some of the stellar names injured in their first game back after the coronavirus-imposed long break.

Megumi, has enlisted the help of experts from his country to make sure he will be in peak condition, when the Super League action restarts.

“I must train carefully before the league starts. I have asked help from some Japanese fitness experts. I regularly have video calls with them, ” said Megumi, who last played for Tampines Rovers in the Singapore League.

“I had been doing some workouts except on Sundays in my house, and later, I started jogging and have been some step exercises.

“However, I feel like I need to play football with others. It is okay that I train without ball for about a month but it is hard for me not to train with others and the ball for more than three months.”

Megumi hopes to return to training soon and admitted that he is okay with playing seven games in a month when the league resume.

The Super League will be played over one round instead of two. After four matches there are only seven games left to decide this year’s champions.

“Seven games are better than nothing. I just want to play football again. It is a shame that I cannot play a full season in Malaysia. This situation is affecting football players around the world, ” he said.

“The rule doesn’t change, so I will tell my teammates that they have to focus on another seven games, and we have a chance to secure a good position in the league.”

Felda are currently fifth in the league, with five points after four matches.

And they will be banking on a fit Megumi to gel with Khairul Amri, Nicolas Velez and Frederic Bulot, to put them in the running for a shot at the league title.