HARITH HAPPY COOLS BACK WITH HARIMAU MALAYA, EYES CHANCE TO PLAY TOGETHER

SEPANG, Nov 12 (Bernama) -- Young national defender Harith Haiqal Adam Afkar is delighted that team captain Dion Cools has rejoined the Harimau Malaya ahead of two Tier 1 international friendly matches this month.

Harith, who made his senior debut when Malaysia lost 0-4 to New Zealand last month, believes Cools’ return will boost the team’s performance in their upcoming matches against Laos at Pat Stadium, Bangkok, this Thursday and India at Gachibowli Stadium, Hyderabad, next Monday.

The Selangor FC player said Cools has a unique aura as a captain and his presence in the team brings a positive impact.

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"Definitely (Cools can improve the team’s performance) because I would say he is a captain unlike any I have seen before, so when he’s there, the team’s aura changes.

"The way he leads us isn’t by talking but by showing, he acts and demonstrates, which is a rare quality in a captain,” he said when met before the national team departed for Bangkok at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Terminal 1 today.

During his senior debut last month, the 22-year-old did not have the opportunity to play alongside Cools, who had to withdraw from the team due to family matters, thus affecting the team's performance, especially in defence.

Therefore, Harith is excited at the prospect of partnering with the Buriram United defender this time, who will join Pau Marti Vicente's squad upon their arrival in Bangkok.

"If given the chance to pair with Dion (Cools), I think that experience will be greatly beneficial. Although we haven’t played together, we have trained in previous camps, and he is an excellent, high-quality player with great leadership,” he said.

Additionally, Harith expressed happiness with the presence of more of his former teammates from the Under-23 (U-23) squad in the current team, including Muhammad Ubaidullah Shamsul Fazili, seeing it as an opportunity for them to gain valuable experience.

The matches against Laos and India this month are also part of Vicente’s preparation to get the team ready for the ASEAN Championship set to begin next month.

Malaysia, who won the championship in 2010, have been drawn into Group A along with defending champions Thailand, Cambodia, Singapore, and Timor-Leste.

-- BERNAMA