Haziq aims to step out of brother’s shadows

KUALA LUMPUR: National Under-23 midfielder Ahmad Haziq Kutty Abba (pic) will draw inspiration from elder brother Syamer to etch a name for himself.

Haziq is one of 19 new players in the 25-men squad selected for a six-day centralised training camp at the FAM headquarters in Kelana Jaya.

Coach E. Elavarasan will gauge them in a series of friendlies before the players are selected for the biennial SEA Games in Cambodia. The football competition starts from April 29 until May 15.

The 19-year-old knows that many would compare him to his more illustrious brother, who plays for nine-time Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim, but he aims to stay focused ahead of an arduous journey.

“Naturally, people expect that I can emulate my brother or do even better.

“Syamer and I are different. We have our own talents and capabilities. But both of us have a common aim ... to play and bring honour play to Malaysia. He has done it and I want to follow in his footsteps.”

Syamer was part of the team that won a silver at the 2017 Kuala Lum-pur SEA Games and emerged runners-up in the 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup.

Haziq, who will feature for Penang II as a striker in the feeder league this season, said he is ready to learn as much as possible from the stint with the national team.

“The transition is different from youth to the Under-23, but my coach in Penang (Akmal Rizal Rakhli) has helped me a lot in terms of adapting to the pace of the game,” he said.

“Now, under coach Elavarasan, I hope to learn more and assert myself in the team, work hard and adapt to his ways quickly.”