Junior Eldstal
Ong Kim Swee
KUCHING: One of the Crocs’ mainstay players, Junior Eldstal had been selected to join Harimau Muda A squad now preparing for the coming Merdeka Cup to be held on Sept 7 to 14.
National junior coach, Ong Kim Swee yesterday disclosed the letter for Junior’s selection had been released by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM ) yesterday.
According to him, the player has also the potential of representing the country in the Myanmar SEA Games to be held in December. Malaysia will meet Singapore , Thailand and Myanmar in this year’s Merdeka Cup.
“He has the package that is needed to strengthen the squad especially in midfield…I am sure his presence will further brighten our chances of defending the gold medal at the SEA Games in December,” he enthused.
Junior , 21, had joined the Crocs in April from UK based club, Slimbridge and Ong was satisfied his performance during Sarawak’s recent beating of Singapore Lions XII as well as the match against Kedah on Tuesday.
“Junior has proven his ability to navigate the midfield and defense well. In fact, I can see him helping to create spaces for other players to score,” he said.
“It is that quality that we need badly from Junior and I am optimistic he will be an important asset to the national team,” said Ong who praised the player and may be assuming the role in midfield or other positions as well if the need arises.
“I will use the Merdeka Cup as a platform to select players for the upcoming SEA Games. Therefore, I want the players not to disappoint me,” he said while urging all the 25 selected players to give their best.
Meanwhile, the Crocs head coach Robert Alberts was happy with the national call up given to Junior and expressed hope for him not to waste the opportunity given.
He said that this is a great opportunity for Junior to get exposure on a higher level and the international stint will sure make him a better player at the end of the day.