No player wants to be involved in back-to-back heavy defeats all within the space of days, much less in their debut matches. But this is specifically what Selangor FC's rising star Mukhairi Ajmal Mahadi recently went through when he took part in the Malaysian national team's friendly match defeats to Jordan and Uzbekistan.

On September 6, the Malayan Tigers were edged by Jordan 4-0, and three days later they were defeated 5-1 by Uzbekistan, with both matches played in Jordan as preparation for this year's 2020 AFF Cup as well as next year's Asian Cup qualifiers. In both matches, Ajmal came on as a substitute with half an hour remaining on the clock.

But although he only joined the two matches like a second-half fresh pair of legs, Malaysian fans and media praised the changes he was able to introduce to the team's gameplay, chiefly through his combination with another teenage Malaysian star, KV Kortrijk's Luqman Hakim Shamsudin. Ajmal has since been touted as one of the players that Malaysia boss Tan Cheng Hoe needs to include in the Malaysia squad for AFF Cup this December.

Selangor FC boss Karsten Neitzel too has joined in the chorus, stating that the teenager has utilized the competitive playing minutes handed to him by the club to progress. 

"Ajmal, as well as many other young players at the club, has been developing throughout the season because he played in many, many games. He did well in some games, from either the starting line-up or the bench. He is able to change the game, the match against Melaka United is the one I remember the best. They and he now have to work on many things, get to play more consistently, and stay humble, these are the goals of the coming months."  

"I am very happy to see him playing for Malaysia, every player wants to play for their country. If he continues working hard, I don't see why he can't go to the AFF Cup," opined the German.

Perhaps the best indication as to his national team future is the one that came from Cheng Hoe himself, who was recently quoted by Shoot as saying:

"Ajmal has been showing great potential while playing in the Malaysian league and Malaysia U-19. He has good technique and speed, which are required in the modern game.

"What he needs to work on now is his movements while in transition, as well as his confidence."

At the moment, Ajmal is undergoing quarantine after returning from Jordan, along with the rest of the Malaysia squad. But surely what he wants to do now, following his eye-catching Malaysia debut, is to get right back on the pitch, and that means either rejoining Selangor FC for the rest of the Malaysia Cup campaign or linking up with Brad Maloney's Malaysia U-23 for the 2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers.

By Zulhilmi Zainal