Combo with a kick

PETALING JAYA: The coaching combo of Juan Torres Garrido and former national captain Shukor Adan have been given the mandate to lead Malaysia to success in the AFC Under-23 Asian Cup from Jan 12-Feb 10 in Qatar.

And Spaniard Garrido relishes the challenge.

The 43-year-old Garrido, who was confirmed as Malaysia’s Under-23 coach yesterday, holds a UEFA A coaching licence with 15 years of experience dealing with talent identification and programmes with various Spanish clubs, one of them being Barcelona.

He was previously assistant to E. Elavarasan, who resigned last month to concentrate on his job as national assistant coach to supremo Kim Pan-gon. In fact, Pan-gon has given his blessing to hire Garrido for the new role.

Leading Malaysia’s charge: Former national captain Shukor Adan will combine with Spanish coach Torres Garrido (inset) to train the Under-23 team at the Asian Cup.

Garrido promises to continue where Elavarasan had left off.

“It is an honour and I feel excited to lead this team. We’ve to start work right away,” said Garrido.

“I’ve been working with this team for almost a year (with Elavarsan), so we know each other well. We will remain focused on the next competition, the AFC Under-23 Asian Cup next year,” said Garrido.

“We will have a training camp in November.

“I will use some of the things that I’ve learned from my time in Spain with the team on the international stage.”

Garrido is also looking forward to work with former national captain Shukor, who will join the team once his contract with Kuala Lumpur expires.

Shukor’s inclusion is a boost as the 44-year-old is known for his natural leadership qualities and is one of the most respected professionals in Malaysian football.

With Garrido’s tactical planning and Shukor’s vast experience, Malaysia’s youngsters are expected to benefit greatly.

“I have met coach Shukor. He can mix well with the players, thanks to his coach ing ability,” said Garrido.

“We also know his prowess as a player as well in the past and he has natural leadership abilities.”

FAM technical director Scott O’Donell said he was happy to have Garrido and Shukor on board.

“We have been working together for the last year, so I know what Juan has and is capable of. I met Shukor when we did the post-mortem for the AFF Cup earlier last year.

“Even my friend Bojan (Hodak) has spoken highly of Shukor.

“I believe Shukor is the perfect person to assist Juan. His expertise in this field will be valuable. He is just starting as a coach but he is well respected in this country.”