Belgian-Malaysian teenager Dion Cools could potentially make his third Champions League appearance when Club Brugge take on Manchester United at Old Trafford on Tuesday night.
Off to Manchester ✈️🇬🇧
— Dion-Johan Cools (@Djcools_21) August 17, 2015
Cools, who joined Club Brugge in July, has been included in the squad that will travel to Manchester for the tie. He made his Champions League debut in the first leg of their tie against Panathinaikos in the previous round, coming on as a substitute.
He was subsequently handed a start in the second leg, and even scored his first goal for the club on the 50th minute of the game, inspiring them to a 3-0 win that effectively booked a battle against United.
Having made an explosive start to his Club Brugge life, Cools is likely to be included in the starting eleven against United, and he will be tasked with containing the threat posed by Memphis Depay.
Cools has Malaysian heritage in his blood, as his mother hails from the state of Sarawak. Despite having featured for the Belgian U-19 squad, the right-back recently mentioned that he’d be honoured to don the colours of Harimau Malaya.
“It would be an honour for me [to represent Malaysia],” Cools revealed previously in an interview with FourFourTwo.
“My father is a Belgian and my mother is a Malaysian from Kuching, Sarawak who moved over here due to their marriage more than 20 years ago.
“I used to go regularly to Malaysia, as my mother’s family is still there and I love the food especially the famous Sarawak laksa and the chicken rice!”
Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) have also hinted on the possibility of getting Cools to feature for the national team, though they are adamant that the man himself needs to show serious interest in the move.
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