PETALING JAYA: Malaysia Under-23 coach E. Elavarasan insists he has the best players in that age group to shine in the AFC Under-23 Asian Cup qualifiers from Sept 6-12 in Thailand despite coming under fire for his charges’ below-par outing in the recent Asean Football Federation (AFF) Championship.
The Harimau Muda had been set a target of reaching the final but only settled for fourth place in Rayong, Thailand.
For the AFC U-23 tourney, Malaysia are in Group H with Thailand, Bangladesh and the Philippines, with all the matches being played in Chonburi.
The 61-year-old Elavarasan, a former PKNS and Sarawak United coach, said building a strong side is a process that needs time and people can’t expect immediate results.
“Many don’t understand the process, and they expect quick results. Well, it doesn’t work that way,” he said.
“As a coach, I know that the players I have now are the best around at this level. They are also going through a learning process through training and competitions.”
The squad reported for training on Wednesday, with 11 new players including young midfielder Mukhairi Ajmal Mahadi, centreback Harith Haiqal Adam Afkar and winger T. Saravanan.
Two players based abroad, playmaker Nooa Laine and striker Luqman Hakim Shamsuddin, will only report for duty in Chonburi on Sept 4.
Elavarasan added the team had a good chance of qualifying for the AFC Asian Cup.
“With players like Luqman and Nooa on board, we have a strong side to fight for a spot.”
