The injury suffered by Pahang captain Matthew Davies opened the door for Johor Darul Ta’azim defender Mahali Jasuli to wear the national team kit yet again after he was called up by Harimau Malaysia head coach Datuk Ong Kim swee prior to the match against Myanmar.
Matthew Davies suffered a successive back injury and he will be out for at least two weeks. His ex-teammate R. Gopinathan is also unavailable after suffering an injury to his thigh. However, Ong Kim Swee is yet to decide on the right replacement for the Selangor winger.
“I have discussed with the medical team, the team doctor and a number of coaches and decided to let Matthew and Gopinathan go because of the extent of their injuries, as Mahali Jasuli will be replacing Matthew Davies,” Ong Kim Swee said as quoted by Utusan Malaysia.
“The other spot (Gopinathan) will be decided after the Johor Darul Ta’azim game against Kaya FC in the AFC Cup. I might just select someone from The Southern Tigers squad.
“Mahali Jasuli will join the national team squad tomorrow.
The ex-Harimau Muda coach brought his attention back to the AFC Cup game and expressed his concern due to the number of central defenders from the Johor Darul Ta’azim squad.
“We have Aidil Zafuan, Fadhli Shas, Shahrom Kalam and Junior Eldstal as our central defenders and three of them are playing tomorrow. I hope they join us without any injury.”
Harimau Malaysia will face Myanmar on May 28 before facing Timor-Leste twice in June.
Other posts by Prashant Kharbanda
