Latest news with #Under-23s
The Star
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Rave reviews for Harimau Malaya debutants Ubaidullah and Palmero
KUALA LUMPUR: The future of Harimau Malaya may have just taken its first confident stride against Cape Verde and it came in the form of two debutants - Ubaidullah Samsul Fazili and Gabriel Palmero. While the international friendly ended in a 1-1 draw at the Cheras Football Stadium on Thursday, it was the composure and promise shown by Ubaidullah and Palmero that stole the headlines and the trust of national coach Peter Cklamovski. Ubaidullah, a 21-year-old centreback from Terengganu, was handed his first senior cap and he grew into the game in the most encouraging fashion. The nerves were evident in the opening 45 minutes but the second half belonged to him. With each tackle, pass, and confident surge from the backline, he embodied the spirit of a defender coming of age. 'I am proud to wear the colours of the nation,' said Ubaidullah. 'This was my first game for Malaysia, so there were jitters, especially in the first half. I made some mistakes but during half-time, the coaches and teammates reminded me to play my game. That gave me the push I needed.' By full-time, he had earned the man-of-the-match award, a testament to the composure he displayed against a team ranked 72nd in the world. His maturity belied his age. 'Football is about using every chance that comes your way. You are never a finished product - every day, you're learning,' he added. 'I enjoy playing in a back three and have done it for my club and the Under-23s. The intensity at the international level is higher but I will adapt.' His performance will only add to his growing stock, with reports of potential loan moves to Thailand surfacing earlier this year. On the other side of the pitch, Palmero - the Spanish-born wingback from CD Tenerife - brought composure and clarity on the flanks. The 23-year-old's touches were clean, his positioning intelligent, and his connection with teammates seamless, despite this being his first outing in Malaysian colours. 'I can do better,' Palmero said humbly. 'I keep working to be the best version of myself. But football is a language, and I try to speak it fluently. Malaysia is in my heart.' Cklamovski, known for his focus on development and detail, was impressed by both players. 'We had six Under-21 players in our first phase. They've all shown the right mentality and adjusted to the intensity we demand,' said the Australian tactician. 'Ubaidullah showed strong character. If we're talking about five years down the line, at a World Cup, he will be at the perfect age to peak. This is the mentality we want.' ''As for Palmero, he came from Spain, prepared well and connected with the group. ''It's not easy facing a world-class opponent in your first match, but he put in a solid individual performance.'
Irish Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Manchester Utd boss hails youngsters as Ireland U21 man makes second appearance
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim says there is 'space in our team' for the young players that featured this week in the club's end-of-season tour of Asia. Ireland Under-21 midfielder Jack Moorhouse made appearances in both games - against ASEAN All-Stars on Wednesday in Malaysia and Hong Kong, China on Friday. Moorhouse, who links up with Jim Crawford's squad next week for their two friendlies in Zagreb - against Croatia and Qatar's Under-23s - started the first game, while he was brought off the bench with 16 minutes remaining on Friday. Fellow youngster Jimmy Thwaites and goalscorer Chido Obi were singled out for praise - but Moorhouse is also highly regarded. His performance against ASEAN All-Stars won him several plaudits as he showed just how comfortable he was carrying the ball in his attacking midfield role. While it has been suggested that a loan move might be his best option for first-team football next season, Amorim is keeping an open mind when it comes to his academy stars. 'I really like the kids,' he told MUTV after Friday's 3-1 win. 'I think Jimmy (Thwaites), in the last 15 minutes, as a midfielder, he wants to play. It doesn't matter how many minutes. 'These kind of young kids are really important. They will have space in our team. 'Of course, it's a good feeling [for Obi to score twice] but he needs to continue to train really hard because the Premier League is a different world. 'We have to improve as a team but I'm really pleased with the kids. It's important for us to control these kids, to show them that to be a professional in Manchester United it's really hard to maintain the level.' Amorim said ahead of Wednesday's game that he would look to tap into the club's underage structures to support his first-team squad next season. 'It was the past,' he said of the club's history of blooding young players, 'so it can be the future.' Moorhouse (19) has already appeared twice on the bench in the Premier League - for games against Tottenham and Arsenal - and he was there again in both Europa League legs against Lyon.
Irish Daily Mirror
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Ireland Under-21 summer friendlies confirmed, with return to old stomping ground
Ireland will head to Croatia for the second consecutive summer, as two June friendlies have been confirmed for Jim Crawford's Under-21 side. The young Boys in Green will take on Croatia's Under-21s on June 6, four days before they face Qatar's Under-23s in Zagreb. It's a last chance for Crawford to assess his options ahead of the start of the European Championship qualifiers in September. Last summer, Ireland had a successful outing in Croatia, beating the hosts 3-2 and drawing 2-2 with an England Under-20 team. Crawford said: 'We look forward to taking on a very good team in Croatia. Like ourselves, they are second seeds for qualifying so we know it will be a very tough test especially in Croatia. 'Likewise, Qatar will be tough opponents, their style will reflect what we are likely to come up against in the qualifiers so it's an important challenge for the players to overcome.' Ireland kicked off 2025 with a 3-1 friendly win over Hungary in March, where Mason Melia became the youngest ever goalscorer at that age group and Brentford's Conor McManus netted twice on his international debut. Looking ahead to September's qualifiers, Crawford emphasised the importance of expanding the number of players at his disposal. Ireland face Moldova away on Thursday September 4 and Andorra at home on Tuesday September 9. Crawford said: 'It's important we take a look at the player pool that is available to us. There will be players coming into the squad who weren't available to us in November and March so we will be looking at bringing in players for their first Under-21s squad. 'Like with any international window, it's an opportunity to impress and an opportunity to stake a claim to be involved come September and beyond. These are two important games going into the campaign ahead.' Friday June 6 (4pm): Croatia U21 v Ireland U21 (Gradski Stadion, Vrbovec, Zagreb) Tuesday June 10 (5pm): Ireland U21 v Qatar U23 (Gradski Stadion, Vrbovec, Zagreb)
BBC News
09-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Who is new Scotland head coach Andreatta?
Melissa Andreatta has been appointed new Scotland head coach on a four-year deal - but who is the 46-year-old?Andreatta has been assistant coach of Australia since 2019 and has also led the Under-23s since their inception in joining the national team set-up she guided home club Brisbane Roar to the W-League Premiership title - which is now known as the A-League - in 2018 and was voted coach of the year in the country's top Andreatta qualified as a teacher before becoming head coach of her former club The Gap, whom she guided to back-to-back State League Championships in 2007 and initially joined Brisbane Roar as an assistant before her successful spell as head coach, while also working with Football Australia's technical department.A near 10-year association with the Matildas began in a technical analyst role in the countdown to the Rio 2016 was promoted to a full-time assistant with Australia after fulfilling various other roles and was part of the team that finished fourth at the home World Cup in 2023 and the Tokyo 2020 the last two-and-a-half-years she has also led the Australia Under-23s, with one of her priorities being to nurture young talent.
BBC News
09-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Australia assistant Andreatta named Scotland head coach
Australia women's assistant coach Melissa Andreatta has been appointed Scotland head coach on a four-year 46-year-old is the permanent successor to Pedro Martinez Losa - who left his role in December after failing to reach Euro 2025 - subject to the completion of visa McArdle oversaw the first four games of Scotland's Nations League Group A1 campaign this year, finishing off with Tuesday night's 6-1 thrashing in has been assistant coach of the Matildas since 2019 and has also led the Under-23s since their inception in joining the national team set-up she guided home club Brisbane Roar to the W-League Premiership title - which is now known as the A-League - in 2018 and was voted coach of the year in the country's top is set to take charge of Scotland for the first time on 30 May when they host Austria in their penultimate game in Group who are yet to pick up a point in the group, finish their campaign by travelling to the Netherlands four days will return his full attention to his role as the Scottish FA's head of women's elite football. Who is new Scotland coach Andreatta? Ex-midfielder Andreatta qualified as a teacher before becoming head coach of her former club The Gap, whom she guided to back-to-back State League Championships in 2007 and initially joined Brisbane Roar as an assistant before her successful spell as head coach, while also working with Football Australia's technical department. A near 10-year association with the Matildas began in a technical analyst role in the count down to the Rio 2016 Olympics. She was promoted to a full-time assistant with Australia after fulfilling various other roles and was part of the team that finished fourth at the home World Cup in 2023 and the Tokyo 2020 the last two-and-a-half-years she has also led the Australia Under-23s, with one of her priorities being to nurture young talent. What is in Andreatta's in-tray? There is a lot for Scotland's new manager to tackle. There is no doubt the side is in a transitional period, with McArdle opting to use his short time in charge as a chance to introduce youngsters to a group who have largely underperformed when compared to their status in the described as a golden generation of talent, the players who fell to their knees at Bolt Arena in Helsinki in December had just failed to reach a third major tournament. For a nation who had made back-to-back finals before that, it has been a challenging few years. Andreatta is noted for giving youthful players a chance, as well as being adept at working with a group brimming with talent. The Matildas crop she leaves behind have carried a similar heavy weight of expectation to the immediate task will be picking the players up from their second-half collapse against Germany in Wolfsburg on Tuesday night. An already bruised side took a battering and they now only have two games left to try to salvage their top-tier status in the Nations League. They may need to take one step backwards again to get to the level they want to - and fleetingly have threatened to - but given the slips backwards they have made in recent years, it's perhaps a necessary move to get back on the tournament track.
