IT is okay as long as he is not a glory seeker or selfish player.
That is the stand of national coach Tan Cheng Hoe on Johor Darul Ta’zim’s (JDT) Liridon Krasniqi replacing Selangor’s Brendan Gan in the Harimau Malaya team for the World Cup qualifiers.
Midfielder Gan will not be able to turn out for the national team against United Arab Emirates (UAE) away on March 26 due to two yellow cards.
Although Cheng Hoe admitted that Gan has been outstanding, what’s more important is his ability to work for the team.
“We’ll miss Brendan because he’s been playing well, and hopefully the others who replace him can give some sort of depth and impact for the team.
“Brendan is very different compared to Krasniqi.
“They each have their own playing style but the most important objective is to play to the team’s tactics.
“They are also box-to-box players, and as a coach I find it very difficult to compare them.
“But like what I have mentioned before, I want them to have teamwork and discipline. That’s the ultimate requirement.”
Following right-back Matthew Davies’ move to JDT from Pahang, Cheng Hoe doesn’t deny the fact that the majority of his national players will comprise Southern Tigers players.
Cheng Hoe sees this as a positive thing.
“I think with three-quarters of the squad coming from JDT, they would have built an understanding and chemistry that exist as a result of training together week in and week out.”
Malaysia will play Bahrain in an international friendly on March 22 before they head to Al Maktoum Stadium in Dubai to meet UAE.