PETALING JAYA, Feb 7 — Luqman Hakim Shamsudin’s current loan spell at Icelandic club, Njardvik FC proves that the country’s young striker is still getting attention in Europe, says former national squad head coach Datuk Dollah Salleh.
Considering the player’s move from the Belgian club KV Kortrijk as an achievement, Dollah hopes Luqman Hakim can motivate other young players to dare to gain experience abroad.
“It is indeed an achievement because he went from Belgium to Iceland, which means that people look at his quality.
“If possible, we want more local and young players to go abroad so that they can gain extensive experience at the international level. When we return to our own country, God willing, we can improve the quality of our football,” he said.
Dollah was met at a thanksgiving ceremony in conjunction with Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) president Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin being elected as a Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Council member, at Wisma FAM in Kelana Jaya here today.
Former national player Datuk Zainal Abidin Hassan concurred with Dollah, saying that Luqman Hakim remaining active in Europe was a good sign.
“As long as he is still in Europe, it is great... I wish him the best of luck, and not to give up. We know how great the quality of football is there,” he said.
Njardvik, Iceland’s second-division club, officially revealed Luqman Hakim as their player on Instagram yesterday.
The 20-year-old Mokhtar Dahari Academy graduate joined the club on loan from Kortrijk for a season.
Luqman Hakim, who was listed as one of the 60 most promising young players in the world in 2019, has made two appearances with Kortrijk including one league match, in addition to playing for the team’s U-21 squad since joining in mid-2020. — Bernama
