KUALA LUMPUR – Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) technical director, Scott O’Donell, believes that players from the national under-23 team should emulate Luqman Hakim Shamsudin and seek more game time to elevate their performances.
Over the years, Luqman’s football career has taken him across continents, from signing with KV Kortrijk FC in Belgium, to playing on loan with both Njarðvík FC in Iceland, and now YSCC Yokohama in Japan.
The 22-year-old striker, who has nine senior team appearances to his name, is currently in Doha, Qatar, as part of the national under-23 team’s Asian Cup campaign, where they lost their opening two matches and were mathematically eliminated from the tournament.
O’Donell’s response came after Luqman Hakim received heavy scrutiny from fans on social media for not aligning with Harimau Muda’s gameplay, with critics suggesting that he needs to play in Malaysia to better integrate with the team.
Speaking to Scoop from Doha, Scott said that he is pleased to see Luqman getting regular game time abroad and that the striker does not need to comply with fans’ requests to stay in Malaysia to be more competitive.
“I don’t think players like Luqman need to play in Malaysia just to be noticeable or competitive. He has chosen Japan as his destination, and I’m glad he’s playing there regularly.
“When he was in Iceland, he wasn’t getting enough game time, and he made the right move. In my opinion, no player wants to just sit on the bench and get five to ten minutes of game time.
“Not only him but all players should have the mentality to strive and get as many minutes on the pitch as they can; they should take it as a challenge,” said O’Donell when contacted.
Previously, Scoop reported that O’Donell, on behalf of FAM, hopes to see consistent participation from its under-23 players for their respective clubs in the Malaysia Super League.
Harimau Muda began their Under-23 Asian Cup campaign with a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Uzbekistan at the Khalifa International Stadium on April 17.
On April 20, they were unable to hold their own, succumbing to another 2-0 defeat, this time against Vietnam in their second Group D match.
Currently sitting at the bottom of Group D, Malaysia will play their final group match against Kuwait tonight.
Harimau Muda’s best achievement in the U23 Asian Cup was in 2018 when they reached the quarter-finals of the tournament held in China. – April 23, 2024