Robert Cornthwaite is already a popular name in Malaysian football, despite only being here for six months. The former Adelaide United defender has been impressive in his performances for Selangor thus far, and his exciting social media comments have made him a fan favourite as well.
Recently, the tall defender was invited to be a part of a Malaysia XI side that eventually faced Tottenham Hotspur last weekend. Alongside four other foreign players, Cornthwaite trained alongside other Malaysian national team players, under the tutelage of head coach Dollah Salleh.
But while the game against Spurs was an exciting experience for him, Cornthwaite was equally thrilled to have spent 10 days with some of the best footballers within the Malaysian football scene.
“The 10 days I spent with the team, I was super impressed,” he told FourthOfficial.com
“The quality of the training session and the work ethic of players really stood out. I personally benefited in many ways. It was great to meet and make new friends from all the different clubs, and be given a chance to impress anyone watching.
“As a whole, it was a positive experience,” he added.
Cornthwaite played in the first half of the match against Spurs, partnering Perak’s Thiago Aquino. They were up against the likes of Harry Kane, Christian Eriksen and Andros Townsend – so it wasn’t entirely surprising that Malaysia conceded two goals in the first half.
But you wouldn’t blame Rob either. Harry Kane has been in fiery form throughout the season and the Australian defender was extremely impressed with what he saw from the young Englishman.
“It was a fantastic opportunity to test myself against one of the best young strikers in modern football. He’s extremely smart, has terrific movement and his physical presence is amazing. He was much taller than I expected.
“Considering that me and Thiago haven’t had much time to play together, I suppose we did well. I thought he had a fantastic game and would have impressed anyone who was watching.”
We posed one final question to Rob Cornthwaite: “Pick a 5-a-side team from players within the Malaysia XI set-up.” His response was nothing short of fascinating.
“There was a number of players who impressed me a lot. For me, the most impressive player was Muslim Ahmad from PDRM. His work rate and power is very impressive. If I was to pick a team of local players it would be Khairul Fahmi, Muslim Ahmad, Christie Jayaseelan, Hazwan Bakri and Norshahrul Idlan,” the Selangor defender proclaimed.
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