Selangor have dropped their injured Spaniard professional Rufino Segovia but the striker, who has a two-year contract with the Red Giants, will stay and train with the team for the rest of the season.
Head coach B. Satianathan said with Segovia dropped the Red Giants have retained Brazilian Endrick dos Santos who can play both as a midfielder and a striker.
“It was very hard decision to make but knowing that it will be up to nine months before the player can fully recover from his tendon injury, several factors were taken into consideration,” said Satianathan.
“Rufino says he will stay put here and train with the team. This is very nice of him. He is a team player who cares for the team spirit. Doctors say he can return to competitive football in September but we will not rush him and further aggravate his injury.
“He has a two-year contract with the team until next year. Rufino will certainly feature in the team’s plans next year. For now, we will make do without him and count on others to deliver.
Selangor’s next match is against Kuala Lumpur on June 15 – a match which the Red Giants need to win badly to keep pace with the leaders after falling to a shock 1-0 defeat to Terengganu (away) last week break before the Fifa international calendar.
The Red Giants conceded a late injury-time goal against the Turtles in Kuala Terengganu through an own goal by skipper K. Sarkunan – a defeat which saw the Klang valley outfit drop to fourth-place in the league with 22 points from 15 matches.
Defending Super League champions Johor Darul Takzim in on top with 39 points-a 13-point lead over second-placed Pahang.
Selangor’s other foreigners are Vietnam international Michal Nguyen (Asean quota), Nigerian Ifedayo Olusegun, Australian Taylor Regan, and Brazilian Sandro Mendoca.
During the month of Ramadan, the Selangor team has been training from 11 pm to 1 am daily and Satianathan has been pleased with the training. RIZAL ABDULLAH
