KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 1 — Harimau Malaya chief coach, Tan Cheng Hoe clarified that the door to the national squad is always open to all players who display the best performance.

However, he said the players should meet several criteria such as age, talent, technique and the ability to adapt to the style of the squad.

Several key players such as Nor Azam Abdul Azih, J. Partiban, Brendan Gan and Shahrul Mohd Saad are injured and Cheng Hoe did not rule out calling other players if necessary.

"For the time being, we see a positive development in Nor Azman as he had proven his capability in two earlier matches (against Indonesia and United Arab Emirates).

"We should remember that we cannot depend on only one player. Whoever is fielded should show good performance,” he told reporters when met after the second session of Harimau Malaya squad training session at Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium in Cheras today.

He said as the coach, he has the responsibility to produce young talents apart from guiding the existing players for the future national squad.

Despite looking for positive results in the second round of the World Cup 2022 and Asian Cup 2023 qualifiers, he still holds to the philosophy of giving opportunities to young players in the squad.

"They are our future. They have energy to play while senior players have experience so it is a challenge to me as the coach to select the right player.

"It is true, Under-19 players such as Luqman Hakim Shamsudin and Mukhairi Ajmal were outstanding but we are still monitoring them and they have AFC U-19 2020 championship qualifying in November. Maybe we will give them a chance next year,” he said. 

Harimau Malaya will be meeting Sri Lanka in an international friendly match tonight at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil before meeting Vietnam in MyDinh Stadium in Hanoi in a Group G qualifying game. — Bernama