PETALING JAYA: Only Haykal Danish Haizon has been retained from the previous squad as Malaysia aim to groom a new team for success in the Asean Football Federation (AFF) tournament.
Malaysia are the defending champions but coach Juan Torres Garrido (pic) has not set any targets in the Under-19 tournament in Surabaya, Indonesia, from July 17-29.
Garrido wants the new team to look beyond the Asean meet.
“This is a new squad that want to get better in every game,” said Garrido.
“I want these boys to show that they are good enough to play not just for this team but will also be an asset for the national team in the future.”
They may lack the international exposure but Garrido believes they have players with great potential.
Mohd Abu Khalil will be a key man in midfield and he recently received the greenlight to play in the J-League club FC Osaka from Selangor.
There is also Johor Darul Ta’zim II winger G. Pavithran, who has impressed in the MFL Cup and even had a chance to train with the first team during pre-season.
“Most of the boys do not have international experience but in terms of minutes, they are all playing almost every week in the MFL Cup and President Cup.”
“I’m glad that all the clubs have allowed their players to join the national team early despite the ongoing domestic tournaments.
“We do not know much about the players from other teams. They have assembled new players too, so I’m unable to assess their strengths and weaknesses.
“As for our team, it’s natural for everyone to expect the best, we will use that as a motivation to get better and better in every game.”
Malaysia are in Group C with Thailand, Singapore and Brunei and will open their campaign against Brunei at Gelora 10 November Stadium on July 19.
There are three groups and the winners will qualify for the semi-finals, while the best runners-up from the respective groups will occupy the final slot.
Besides the win in 2022, where Malaysia beat Laos 2-0 in the final, they also won the tournament in 2018 after beating Myanmar 4-3.
