FIT AGAIN: Kalle has been working hard on rehab to maintain his form and fitness to win a place in the Croc’s squad.
KUCHING: Sarawak got a timely boost for the Negeri Sembilan Super League clash this Saturday after import striker Kalle Sone Masue has declared himself fit again to play.
Kalle was nursing a groin injury sustained during a friendly last year and earlier assessment projected that he could potentially miss this Saturday’s clash with Negeri Sembilan. He has been working hard on rehab to maintain his form and fitness to win a place in the Croc’s squad.
Kalle’s prompt recovery came in the advent of Sarawak on the verge of signing his replacement in the form of Croatian striker Vedran Muratovic.
Muratovic has been in Kuching for trials since Jan 19 and it seems that Sarawak is now positively looking into the prospect in signing the Croatian.
“We are really in need of services from an import player, especially in the attacking department. The main reason behind this is because we need foreign strikers with good experience to sharpen out our strikeforce,” said Robert Alberts at the State Stadium yesterday.
“Muratovic is a different type of player. He is more robust and a fighter. These are the qualities we need to win games,” he added.
Alberts revealed that Sarawak cannot afford to have an injured foreign import who is sidelined on a long term basis as the team is in dire need of a lethal hitman.
“We lost the previous matches against Sabah and Terengganu down to the fact that they had the services of foreign import strikers which gave them the edge to win matches,” stressed the Croc’s gaffer on how crucial it was to possess an import striker to survive in the highly competitive MSL.
Alberts also commented that the presence of an experienced import striker is crucial to provide the leadership and guidance to Sarawak’s rather young set of attackers.
“It is also equally important that the local players emulate how their foreign teammates play and learn from their experience,” the Sarawak coach added.
With Alberts indicating that there is a good chance of Sarawak signing Muratovic, time is ticking away for Football Association of Sarawak to register the Croatian with Football Association of Malaysia to boost the Croc’s firepower. Whether it is Kalle or Muratovic playing the destroyer role for Sarawak, time is of the essence in football as you only have 90 minutes to emerge as the victor or the vanquished.