No lane too rough for Laine to navigate when it comes to national duty

PETALING JAYA: Young Selangor midfielder Nooa Laine (pic) won’t expect a smooth lane for him to drive his way into national football team coach Kim Pan-gon’s 25-men squad for the World Cup 2026-Asian Cup 2027 second round qualifiers against Oman.

The 21-year-old has his work cut out as he has to compete with the more seasoned likes of Mukhairi Ajmal Mahadi, Brendan Gan, Paulo Josue, Endrick dos Santos, Stuart Wilkin and Syamer Kutty Abba for the coveted spot.

But Laine, expected to play a key role for the Malaysian Under-23 team in the AFC U-23 Asian Cup next month in Doha, Qatar, won’t be intimidated by the daunting challenge.

He’s out to spring some surprises and show why he is rated as one of the top midfield prospects in the country.

“I’m aware there are many other midfielders who have been part of the national team longer than me, so they have an edge in terms of getting spots for the qualifiers,” said Laine, who is part of the 33-men squad at the national centralised camp for the qualifiers.

“I’m doing my best to show what I can do for the team and I hope coaches notice that. I’m also enjoying the challenge and I’ve been able to cope with the intense training routines set by the coach.

‘’But most of all, the chance to play for the senior team will be the strongest motivation for me to face any challenge.’’

Pan-gon is expected to pick four to five midfielders for his final squad.