BY ZULHILMI ZAINAL Follow on Twitter
Malaysia midfielder Azam Azih is not confident that he can recover in time for their Group G World Cup Asia qualifiers clash against Vietnam next Thursday.
Speaking to the press upon arriving to training with the team on Thursday, Azam revealed the extent of the bruise on his left ankle, which he picked up while playing for Pahang in their Malaysia Cup second leg quarter-final match against Melaka United last Sunday.
Malaysia boss Tan Cheng Hoe had earlier expressed his doubt that Azam can feature in their October 5 friendly encounter against Sri Lanka, at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium.
"I have to follow the physiotherapist's instructions, he said that the sweliing gets worse if I run. No scan has been conducted, but the Pahang physio said that it's not serious.
"But I don't think there's enough time for me to recover for the match in Hanoi. For now I'm only focusing on rehabilitation and physiotherapy.
"Of course the coach wants me to play, but it's hard to say anything definitive today. There are more games after Vietnam for me to play a part in, while the players called up such as Yan (goalkeeper Khairul Azhan Khalid), Aidil [Zafuan] and Azizan [Nordin] are experienced ones who can contribute to the team. I believe in my teammates," said the 24-year old midfielder.
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