Kuala lumpur: Harimau Malaya will be without defender Jimmy Raymond for Malaysia's final ASEAN Cup Group B match against the Philippines after the Kuching City FC player suffered an ankle injury in Saturday's defeat to Thailand. Interim head coach Tan Cheng Hoe said the latest medical assessment confirmed the 30-year-old would be sidelined until further notice, dealing another blow to the national squad.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Cheng Hoe revealed, "At the moment, we know that Endrick (dos Santos) will definitely not feature in the next match. We have also received Jimmy's medical report, which confirms he will not be able to play in the upcoming match. It is a big loss because both of them are key players for the team. I just hope Jimmy's injury is not too serious. It is certainly a concern for us," he told reporters after the national team's training session here today.
Cheng Hoe said the coaching staff are now evaluating available options to fill the void left by Jimmy but admitted time constraint makes it difficult to bring in a replacement. "The coaching staff are discussing which player can step in, but with limited time available, it is difficult to call up another player. We hope the current squad can stay focused and maintain their fitness ahead of the match against the Philippines," he said.
Malaysia have already lost midfielder Endrick dos Santos, who suffered a medial collateral ligament (MCL) injury during last week's match against Laos. The national team are currently second in Group B with six points from three matches, having recorded victories over Laos and Myanmar before losing to Thailand.
Despite the Philippines' surprise defeat to Myanmar in their previous outing, Cheng Hoe warned his players against underestimating their opponents. "We cannot underestimate them. They have several players who have played in the Malaysian League, so they know the strength of our team. They are also dangerous when attacking," he said.
Meanwhile, midfielder Daryl Sham believes Harimau Malaya have what it takes to bounce back from their defeat to Thailand and secure victory over the Philippines to book a place in the ASEAN Cup semi-finals. "We'll prepare better against them. I'm confident that we will reach the semi final if we do our best," he said.