Southeast Asia

SEA Players To Watch – April 24th 2019

By: , April 24, 2019 6:40 pm
Credit – Kedah FA Official

Check out our list of players to keep your eyes on in the major South-East Asian leagues:

Thailand

Name: Javier Patino

Age: 31

Nationality: Philippines

Position: Striker

Club: Buriram United

Background: The Spanish-born striker began his career in the lower divisions of the nation's football system, with his most notable stint coming with Cordoba in the second division. Patino then declared for the Philippines national team through his Filipino mother and made a move to Buriram United in 2013. After a successful spell with the club, netting 35 goals from 54 games, Patino then made his move to Chinese Super League side Henan Jianye, which began well but was later hampered by injury concerns. He returned to Buriram to fill their 'ASEAN quota' during the 2018 season.

Reason to Watch: Since returning to Buriram, Patino has struggled to re-ignite the same magic of his first spell, and had previously lost his place in the starting lineup to younger players. However, the Thai champions have struggled to replace Diogo Luis Santo, and striker Modibo Maïga has already departed the club after arriving in January. The Thunder Castle must wait until late June to sign a new striker, in which time Patino has the opportunity to prove that he can be the right man for Buriram once again.

Indonesia

Name: Sylvano Comvalius

Age: 31

Nationality: Netherlands

Position: Striker

Club: Arema FC

Background: When the transfer window in Indonesia was still open, Arema FC already signed the striker from Kuala Lumpur FA. Arema will be his second Indonesian club, as he previously played for  Bali United in 2017, where he finished as the Liga 1 season as the top-scorer and broke the record for the most goals scored in a single season, netting 37 times.

Reason to Watch: Sylvano will become the perfect replacement for Robert Lima Guimares, who has been fined by Arema and not joined the team before the league kick-off. But there is a little doubt about him, and whether or not he can reach his best level. Before joining Arema, Sylvano only played 12 times and scored 1 goal in total for Suphanburi and KLFA.

Malaysia

Name: Farhan Roslan

Age: 22

Nationality: Malaysia

Position: Winger/Attacking Midfielder

Club: Kedah

Background: He started his career with Kedah in their President's Cup team in 2013, and has also played for Kedah's futsal team. In the following seasons, he was called up by Kedah's senior team by head coach, Ian Gillan for the 2014 Malaysia Premier League.

Reason to Watch: Farhan's rise has not been easy as he had a serious injury and started his recovery early in the season. He has been given a chance playing in the starting line-up since the last month, where he has managed to make the most of his opportunity. In the match against Terengganu FC, he managed to play a crucial role, having a hand in each of his side's three goals.

Vietnam

Name: Do Van Thuan

Age: 27

Nationality: Vietnam

Position: Central Midfielder

Club: Ho Chi Minh City FC

Background: A product of Hanoi FC, he has been called up to U21 Vietnam in 2013, he is the player in the same generation as national team player Do Hung Dung. In 2017, he was included in Vietnam NT squad for the match against Afghanistan in Asian Cup qualifiers.

Reason to Watch: Do Van Thuan had played a great match against Viettel to help Ho Chi Minh City achieve an impressive 2-0 win and stay on top of the table. Having just returned from injury, Van Thuan has already shown his class to help the league leaders. Furthermore, at the moment, other Ho Chi Minh City midfielders like Vu Anh Tuan and Ngo Hoang Thinh are still nursing injuries. Van Thuan will have many chances to show his ability to impress national team coach Park Hang-seo before King's Cup in June.