Malaysia sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin has urged local players to join any foreign club.
“I am proud that teams from this region are keen on our Sea Games players,” said Khairy, as quoted by the New Straits Times.
“It is a good sign and maybe we can look at avenues to provide better exposure for players under coaches Bojan Hodak (national under-19) and Lim Teong Kim (National Football Development Programme) after this.
“It is important for them to further their careers not only in Malaysia but also at clubs in Southeast Asia, Asia and if the opportunity arises in Europe as well.
“I believe if the under-22 team make further inroads, our senior team will be feared within five years.”
Weeks ago, a sports agency revealed that six young Malaysia football players became top targets for several Thai League T1 clubs after their good performance at last month’s SEA Games.
The six players are defenders Adam Nor Azlin (Selangor) and Adib Zainudin (Felcra FC), Penang triplet’s Syamer Kutty Abba, Nor Azam Azih and Jafri Firdaus Chew, as long as the team’s star N. Thanabalan (Felcra FC).