Espanyol's Indonesian teenager Arthur Irawan aims for regular spot

Jul 31, 2012 4:11:00 AM

The 19-year-old made an impressive pre-season debut for the Catalan club's second-string side over the weekend and is hoping to build on the performance

Indonesian starlet Arthur Irawan is hoping to land a regular right-back role with Espanyol Reserves this season.

The Surabaya-born teenager is set to face fellow Spanish League Segundo B side Reus Deportiu in a friendly fixture on Thursday, after receiving praise for his 45-minute debut in last Saturday’s 3-1 victory over Taradell.

“I was nervous at the start against Taradell, but then I settled into the game and really enjoyed it," the 19-year-old Irawan said. "The Reserve captain, Fran Miranda, told me that I could be proud of my performance.

“I knew that I had to make a huge step up, coming from the Juvenile squad into the Reserves, but I feel I’ve coped just fine over the first couple of weeks.

“After a week’s intense training in the Pyrenees, we are now back in Barcelona and preparing for the next friendly game on Thursday against Reus.

“They are in the same division as us so it will be a good test.”

Espanyol Reserves begin their league campaign at the end of August.

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