NATIONAL Under-20 coach Brad Maloney wants only the best up-and-coming players for the AFC Under-23 qualifiers in Mongolia on Oct 23-31.
The Australian will hold discussions with the relevant parties to secure the release of players for the tournament. He has 50 players on his list to choose from for the qualifiers.
Malaysia are in Group J with Thailand, Laos and Mongolia.
"I will discuss with national coach Tan Cheng Hoe and check whether players like Luqman Hakim Shamsudin and Arif Aiman Hanapi will be needed for international senior assignments in October.
"Both players are part of my plans for the qualifiers. I spoke to Luqman after the draw on Friday, and he is eager to play in Mongolia.
"We will have to secure his release from his club, KV Kortrijk," said Maloney yesterday.
Luqman and Arif were part of Cheng Hoe's pre-World Cup team, who played in the United Arab Emirates recently.
Maloney is also keen on having Brighton's Jaami Qureshi for the qualifiers.
He will likely hold training camps on Aug 30-Sept 7 and Oct-4-12 during the Fifa window. However, the senior team are also expected to gather during the same periods for a camp.
The qualifiers will clash with the Malaysia Cup quarter-finals and semi-finals.
And Maloney may face a problem securing the services of Under-20 players, especially those who play regular football for their clubs in the M-League.
For the record, clubs are not required to release players for international tournaments held outside the Fifa window.
"We have good relationships with all M-League clubs. We will discuss with them if we need their players for the qualifiers."
Maloney is also tasked to prepare a squad for next year's Sea Games in Vietnam.