SEPANG: Young Selangor defender Harith Haiqal Adam Afkar (pic) is hopeful of getting to play alongside Malaysia captain Dion Cools in the upcoming international friendlies against Laos tomorrow and India on Nov 18.
The 22-year-old has been a standout for Selangor this season and has even captained the team twice in the AFC Champions League Two.
In such good form, Harith fancies being in the reckoning for first-team duties although coach Pau Marti Vicente’s preferred three-man defence for now comprises Matthew Davies, Dominic Tan and Dion.
“If I get the experience of playing with Dion, it would surely make me a better player,” said Harith who came through the Akademi Mokhtar Dahari (AMD) in Gambang, Pahang.
“We have never played together in matches but we have trained with each other during national call-ups. His leadership and qualities are different.
“Dion has a special aura about him and he leads the team through his actions.”
Harith earned his first cap with Malaysia last month but it wasn’t the brightest of starts for him as the Harimau Malaya were mauled 4-0 by New Zealand in a friendly.
He, however, took the heavy loss as a valuable experience.
“We lost to a side that were ranked way higher than us. Most of their players play in top leagues in Europe and Asia.
“They also have Chris Wood, who is a potent Premier League goalscorer. It was an intense match against New Zealand, one I learnt a lot from.”
