Itching for action: Akhyar Rashid smiling after a training session with his Terengganu teammates.
PETALING JAYA: Being a robbery victim has deeply affected Akhyar Rashid but the Terengganu player is optimistic about recovering fully from the ordeal.
The 25-year-old returned to training on Tuesday at Gong Badak after two weeks of rest to recover from his injuries and said that his passion to perform on the field has never ebbed.
The national player, who is on loan from Johor Darul Ta’zim, admitted that he couldn’t wait to make his first appearance with his new team this season.
“I have started light training with my teammates after almost two weeks of rest.
“I estimate that in three days I will be fully fit and will be able to wear football boots after the stitches are removed. My passion to help the Terengganu team is still the same as before, it’s just that I have a bit of trauma because of the incident.
“Insya Allah, with the support and prayers of my family, management, teammates and all football fans in the country, I want to forget the incident as soon as possible.
“I will be ready to play if I am fielded by the team to play Penang in the second match of the Super League this Sunday. However, that is up to the head coach Tomislav Steinbruckner to decide.
“If I can’t play, I will be sad but I believe the coaching staff has their plans for me, so I want to focus on training first and make sure that I’m fully fit in addition to regaining my confidence,” he said.
Akhyar was attacked by robbers near his residential condominium in Kuala Terengganu on May 2.
As a result, he needed four stitches in his head and two in his leg. He also lost almost RM5,000 in the unfortunate event.
Akhyar was not the only player to be attacked in the space of one week as Faisal Halim was later splashed with acid in Petaling Jaya on May 5 while Safiq Rahim saw his car windscreen smashed two days later.
