Skipper Shahrul the man to hair-ry opponents

Mane attraction: Sharul is not just known for his Valderamma-like hairstyle but he has also shown maturity as a defender.

SHAH ALAM: It’s hard to ignore the appearance of Sharul Nazeem Zulphakar on the pitch.

The 21-year-old Selangor II captain is not only known for his wild Afro hair – reminiscent of Colombian Carlos Valderamma – but he has also shown great maturity in manning the defence with authority.

Against the national under-19 team, he was one of the standouts as he constantly guided his team with his tactical nous, and showed great strength in several crunching challenges.

It was no surprise to see coach Michael Feichtenbeiner hugging his captain when he came off in the second half at the Selangor Training Centre in Shah Alam, Selangor.

In the last three friendly matches, Sharul has helped Selangor II beat the national under-19 team 4-0, Pahang 3-2 and draw against Terengganu 0-0.

In the first two friendlies, they lost to UiTM (0-2) and Petaling Jaya City (1-2).

His combination with Shivan Pillay Asokan in defence has looked steady, but being the captain, Sharul feels the team can improve further before their first game against Kuching FA on Aug 28.

“Against the national under-19, we gave our best but we have to continue improving before the league starts,” he said.

“I cannot say the short season will be easy or tough. We just have to work hard and as youngsters, we want to show the management that we have what it takes to play in the Super League.

“So, every Premier League game counts for us, and we want to show that we can play against the bigger boys.”

Under Feichtenbeiner, Selangor II have shown an emphasis on pressing and it was obvious in their friendly against the Under-19 side as Brad Maloney’s youngsters struggled to get the ball and match Selangor’s high intensity.

Sharul said Feichtenbeiner wanted to make sure the young boys can grasp the modern game, and make sure they can add value to the first team if selected by coach B. Sathianathan.

“Our pressing and formation look better under Michael. Also, the youngsters have no problems interacting with him.

“He has been good so far, and you can see how he guides the players from the touchline.”