Felda United winger Hadin Azman has expressed his disappointment at not being handed a national call-up, despite playing a starring role for the Fighters this year.
The 22 year-old winger has scored three goals for Felda United this season, besides drawing plenty of plaudits for his excellent performances under Irfan Bakti.
Despite that, Hadin was surprisingly excluded from Datuk Ong Kim Swee’s national squad for the games against Saudi Arabia and Macau – something that he’s deeply disappointed about.
“Honestly, I do feel sad for not making the 23-man squad. What can I do though? I do not have the power to ask the coach [Datuk Ong Kim Swee] to select me,” Hadin told FourthOfficial.com.
“However, his decision is final. If he didn’t choose me this time, I will have to be patient, work hard in training and eventually he will hand me a call-up,” the 22 year-old added.
Though he’s unhappy with the recent snub, Hadin is determined to continue his current form and force himself into Malaysia’s squad for the AFF Suzuki Cup, at the end of this year.
“I do think that I will make the Suzuki Cup squad at the end of the year. My confidence has not dropped at all and it will never drop until I make the national squad,” he enthused.
Hadin started his career with Harimau Muda B, before moving into the Johor DT set-up in 2013, under the guidance of Fandi Ahmad. Despite being highly rated, Hadin struggled to make an impact with the Southern Tigers, before eventually departing for Felda United in 2015.
Since joining Felda, the talented flanker has blossomed incredibly and is now a pivotal member of the Fighters’ first team set-up. While it’s evident that he has benefited from the additional playing time with Felda, Hadin was quick to stress that his growth is due in no small part to Irfan Bakti.
“Irfan Bakti knows how I like to play. He gives me the freedom to do what I want and that removes the pressure. If I make mistakes, he points it out and right now, I completely trust him.
“I’ve played under two great coaches in Fandi and Irfan, but Irfan has definitely had a bigger impact on me,” Hadin concluded.
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