PETALING JAYA: National Under-23 skipper Mohd Irfan Fazail is set to miss the team’s friendly match against the Myanmar senior team in Yangon on Friday. 

The midfielder picked up a hamstring injury during training last Saturday and was omitted from the 18-player squad leaving for Yangon today.  

A dejected Irfan said that he’s disappointed and frustrated to pick up the injury just before the trip. 

Irfan had a horrible season last year with the Harimau Muda A squad in the Singapore League as he was regularly sidelined by injury. 

“I’m disappointed with my latest injury and to be honest, I’m worried as well as I’m spending too much on the treatment table instead of the field,” said Irfan yesterday. 

“I think I push myself too much in training at times and end up being injured. Coach Ong (Kim Swee) has warned me about it and I need to be much more careful after this. 

“I’m having rehab now and will see a specialist on Friday to have a scan on the hamstring. I hope its not a serious injury.” 

The Pontian local has always been a star of the Harimau Muda A squad and it earned him a short loan deal with Slovakian club FC Vion Zlate Moravce in 2011. 

However, the 22-year-old player’s long list of injuries after returning to Malaysia has stalled him from making a real impact for the national Under-23 squad. 

Irfan said he had to work doubly hard after recovering from his injury as there’s a keen fight to make the team who are preparing for the defence of the SEA Games gold medal in Myanmar from Dec 12-22. 

“Its been frustrating to keep on missing matches and tournament and it might jeopardise my position in the team,” said Irfan. 

“We have several new players coming in and the competition to earn a berth in the team is getting tougher. We have an important mission at the end of the year and I hope to be injury free and play a role in the SEA Games.” 

 The squad to Myanmar

Ahmad Hazwan Bakri, Shahrul Mohd Saad, Mohd Fadhli Shas, Muhammad Ariff Farhan Mohd Isa, D. Saarvindran, Wan Zaharulnizam Wan Zakaria, A. Thamil Arasu, Mohd Rozaimi Abdul Rahman, Mohd Adam Nor Azlin, Izzaq Faris Ramlan, Muhammad Nurridzuan Abu Hassan, Mohamad Fandi Othman, Mohd Firdaus, Nazirul Naim Che Hashim, Mohd Izham Tarmizi Roslan, Saiful Ridzuan Selamat, Wan Zack Haikal Wan Nor, D. Kenny Pallraj.

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