loading…
BEKASI – The coach of the Indonesian U-23 National Team, Shin Tae-yong, revealed that the presence of Aji Kusuma and Akbar Arjunsyah from Persija Jakarta in the National Team squad for the U-23 Asian Cup Qualification is still not guaranteed. According to him, the decision will depend on the performance of the two players during the team’s training camp (TC).
Aji Kusuma and Akbar Arjunsyah have become public attention after being called by Shin Tae-yong to join the U-23 Indonesian National Team. However, both of them have not shown any striking performance with Persija Jakarta in Liga 1 2023/2024.
Aji Kusuma, who plays as a striker, has not managed to score a goal in the eight matches he played with Persija Jakarta. Despite this, he was called up to play against Turkmenistan in the FIFA Matchday match on September 8.
Meanwhile, Akbar Arjunsyah has appeared in six matches and scored one goal with Persija Jakarta. He is also included in the list of 27 players who have been called to take part in the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup Qualification.
Shin Tae-yong gave his views on the possibility of the two players playing for the Indonesian national team. He said that he could not confirm whether they would be included in the squad or not.
“Indeed, it is divided into two, indeed there are more entries. When discussed in more detail, we cannot confirm whether these players will enter or not,” said Shin Tae-yong to the media crew including SINDOnews at Patriot Candrabhaga Stadium, Bekasi City, Wednesday (30/8/2023).
The coach from South Korea explained that the final decision would be taken after seeing the players’ performance during the TC which will start on September 4 2023 in Solo, Central Java. Shin Tae-yong promised to choose the most appropriate player to represent the Indonesian national team.
“We will practice first, after that we will determine who the entry will be,” he said.
The Indonesian U-23 national team will face Taiwan U-23 in the opening match of Group K of the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup Qualification at Manahan Stadium, Solo, on Saturday (9/9/2023). Next, they will compete against Turkmenistan U-23 at the same venue on Tuesday (12/9/2023).
(sto)
