Sean enticed by the chance of working with Maniam at Selangor

Zulhilmi Zainal

Sean enticed by the chance of working with Maniam at Selangor image

BY        ZULHILMI ZAINAL       Follow on Twitter


Amidst the attention given by Selangor fans on the Indonesian duo of Evan Dimas Darmono and Ilham Armaiyn's signings by the Red Giants over the past week, it is easy to miss their signing of Negeri Sembilan's young star Sean Eugene Selvaraj.

The 21-year old winger's signing, a permanent deal that is set to run for two years, slipped under the radar of most fans, but his arrival is among the most exciting local transfers at the club, ahead of the 2018 season.

When met by Goal while training with Malaysia U23 ahead of their 2018 AFC U23 Championship on Monday, Sean remarked that part of his reason for joining Selangor is the chance to work under head coach Maniam Pachaiappan.

In 2017, Maniam's first season as head coach of Selangor, he promoted seven U21 players to the first team. Those players, who were still eligible for the U21 competition President's Cup, in turn helped the side capture the title in October.

For the coming season the club have promoted even more U21 players, on top of signing new foreigners and experienced local players.

"That (Selangor's use of young players) is the reason I signed with Selangor. They play in the Super League (MSL) and use youngsters, and it's a better opportunity for me to go there and play in the MSL.

"They told me that they have a plan for me, so I decided to join them," said Sean.

Interestingly, earlier during the day it was announced that his former club Negeri would be one of two second-tier clubs to be promoted to the MSL, as replacements for clubs that have not secured the necessary licence.

The prospect of facing his former club is not lost on the winger, but he nevertheless relishes the chance, answering with a beaming smile; "For sure!"

"Congratulations to them for finally being promoted after quite some time. I'm sad to have had to leave, but it was just my time to come to Selangor.

"We left on good terms, we did not have any problems. Who knows, maybe I'll get to play for them again in the future," he remarked.

Zulhilmi Zainal