Johor Darul Ta’azim (JDT) II defender Dominic Tan has heaped praises on The Southern Tigers’ system as well as his teammates after his recent call-up to Frank Bernhardt’s Project 2017 SEA Games squad.
The Singapore Sports School graduate, who first broke into the scene by captaining Harimau Muda C to a fourth-placed finish at the AFF U-19 Youth Championships in 2015, has been a regular fixture for JDT II this season, despite their struggles in the Premier League.
And as far as the 19 year-old is concerned, being a part of the JDT system is a dream come true and that he’s grateful to the management for believing in him.
“It is a dream come true to be playing in one of the best teams in Malaysia and in Asia. They made me who I am and I owe all of my success to them,” Dominic told FourthOfficial.com.
“I am delighted that I’m being given the chance to play in the first eleven for JDT II. I hope that I can continue my performance and hopefully play for the JDT first team in future.”
The former Harimau Muda C captain is also thankful that he has the opportunity to play alongside Singaporean star Baihakki Khaizan at the heart of JDT II’s defence.
“Baihakki is an amazing player and he has a lot of experience as well. He’s been guiding me during games as well as training sessions.
“In matches, I’m never worried when I’m beside him – he breeds confidence within others with his composure. Without a doubt, he’s my role model,” Dominic enthused.
While Dominic did not feature in Malaysia U22’s 4-1 win over Philippines U22 last night, he’s already setting his sights on making the final cut of Frank Bernhardt’s SEA Games squad. More importantly though, he wants to continue improving as a footballer in JDT.
“I really hope that I can keep my momentum going and be able to make the final cut for the SEA Games squad.
“When you think about it, I get to play with the likes of Baihakki, Shahril Ishak and Paulo Rangel every day. It’s unbelievable. I still have a lot to learn and I can definitely count on them helping me improve. Hopefully someday, my name becomes as big as theirs,” he concluded.
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