Malaysia unexpectedly eliminates naturalized players before meeting Vietnam team

Today (June 1), Malaysia welcomed two important stars, Dion Cools and Hector Hevel. They are busy playing with Buriram United (Thailand) and Portimonense (Portugal) so they can only gather at the latest with the team.

Malaysia bất ngờ loại cầu thủ nhập tịch trước khi gặp tuyển Việt Nam - 1 — Fergus Tierney (second from right) was eliminated from the Malaysian team (Photo: NST).

Among them, Hector Hevel is really a player to look forward to. This midfielder is playing in the Portuguese second division for Portimonense Club. Last season, he played 8 matches for this club. Hector Hevel appeared in the training session in March. He scored in his debut match for Malaysia against Nepal.

On the other hand, coach Peter Cklamovski decided to drop four players Fergus Tierney, Syed Nasrulhaq, Hong Wan and Safwan Mazlan. The reason is because they did not impress in the recent training session as well as the match against Cape Verde.

Notably, Fergus Tierney, a Scottish player who plays for Nakhon Pathom United (Thailand), was left out despite being a regular in the Malaysian national team in recent times. He also played in the 2024 AFF Cup and scored a goal against Cambodia.

Overall, the Malaysian squad is now stable after nearly half a month of training with coach Peter Cklamovski. However, according to the country’s press, the Tigers may still welcome naturalized player Jefte Betancor (top scorer of the Greek national championship) in the near future.

Malaysia bất ngờ loại cầu thủ nhập tịch trước khi gặp tuyển Việt Nam - 2 — Gabriel Palmero is expected to improve Malaysia's attack (Photo FAM).

Gabriel Palmero is a player with high expectations this time around. The striker, who currently plays in Spain, will add quality to Malaysia’s attack. For many years, they have lacked a true striker capable of making an impact.

Gabriel Palmero told the press: “I have not encountered any difficulties in communicating with my new teammates. We can speak English so we understand each other quite well. I also understand the head coach’s tactics. I have only played my first match with the Malaysian team. I will try my best to play better.”

According to the schedule, the Vietnamese team will face Malaysia on June 10. This is a match that will directly decide the ticket to attend the 2027 Asian Cup in Group F when the Vietnamese and Malaysian teams are far ahead of the two remaining opponents, Laos and Nepal.