Injured skipper Zaquan to sit out Fiji friendly

PETALING JAYA: National football team captain Mohd Zaquan Adha Abdul Razak will be a mere spectator when Malaysia play Fiji in a friendly match at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil tomorrow.

The Kuala Lumpur striker will miss the match as he is recovering from a surgery to fix a fractured bone on his forearm but it has not deterred him from being with the team during their training sessions.

The 30-year-old who scored four goals in Malaysia’s 7-0 win over Bhutan on April 1, admitted that he is frustrated as he can’t continue his scoring act.

“I can still play as only my left hand is hurt but coach Tan (Cheng Hoe) doesn’t want me to take the risk and aggravate the injury so I think I will have to sit out this match,” said Zaquan.

“The coach felt I can still play a role in our preparation for the Fiji match. A good performance in a match depends on good preparation and I’m committed to helping the team in any way I can.”

“I’m on form now and I always want to play for the national team like any other players so I’m quite frustrated over missing this game.”

Zaquan had previously featured against Fiji during the tour of Oceania in 2016 where the match finished 1-1 and he ended up with a broken finger.

Only Zaquan and centreback Shahrul Saad are the surviving members from that match and Zaquan said he knows the Fijians’ play quite well.

“Fiji played a very physical game against us back then but I think they have a new coach and they might play a different style now,” said the Seremban-born player.

“We have a number of new players in the squad for this match and most of them are young and eager to prove themselves. We will be ready no matter what style Fiji will play.”