“It is true that we are having problems and want to find potential defenders,” said Rahmad, who is also coach at the Arema club in Malang, East Java. “Zainl Haq, after his injury is undergoing a rehabilitation process at my club so I know his day-to-day development.”
Zainal, 21, a former member of the U-19 national football team, returned at the end of last year from a stint with Uruguay’s Atletico Penarol Senior.
Speaking at an event held by Rita Subowo, chairperson of the Indonesian Olympic Committee, in Jakarta late on Sunday, Rahmad said that he would monitor Zainul’s progress before deciding whether he would be recruited to play for the U-23 team.
Rahmad declined to comment on the U-19 national football team, saying that he first wanted to see how the team performed at the U-19 Asia Cup in Jakarta on Oct. 8-12. Indonesia plays in Group G along with Korea, Laos and the Philippines.
“We will not make any statement on them, because we do not want to disturb their concentration,” he said of the team.
