PETALING JAYA: When it comes to rightbacks, Malaysia have an abundance of talent.
Fans have often applauded the defensive qualities of Matthew Davies, Rizal Ghazali, Syahmi Safari, Quentin Cheng and Declan Lambert over the years but there are some new gems coming up.
One of them is Terengganu’s young rightback Azam Azmi Murad (pic), who has been a key player for the Turtles for the past two seasons.
The 22-year-old’s overlapping runs, solid and clean tackling, and knack for making timely interceptions make him an asset for any team’s defence.
The Penang-born Azam is expected to play a vital role for the Malaysian Under-23 team out to impress in the AFC Under-23 Asian Cup qualifiers in Thailand from Sept 6-12.
Malaysia are in Group H with Thailand, Bangladesh and the Philippines, with all the matches being played in Chonburi, Thailand.
Azam, however, will face stiff competition for the starting rightback spot as M. Rakesh is also fancied to make that position his own after impressive displays in the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Under-23 Championship.
The versatile Kelantan player, also 22, has similar attributes to Azam in terms of playing style.
Azam is relishing the challenge of having to compete with Rakesh.
“Both of us are similar. We love running, always put in the miles during matches and we also love to defend hard. I watched Rakesh’s performances during the AFF competition and training sessions. He’s a quality player,” said Azam.
“To me, this is healthy competition because we are pushing each other to do better. All the players in our team have quality. There are no superstars, so we all have to fight for our places.’’
Azam has started 18 league matches for Terengganu this season but missed out on three due to a hamstring injury.
He said that being sidelined was tough for him but he is relieved to be fit again and playing for the national Under-23 side.
“My motivation was a little down after having to sit out some games. I’m relieved to be back and I’m focused on playing well again.
“I’ve played four games before the national call-up, so my fitness is good and I’m prepared.’’
