KUALA LUMPUR: Former Selangor coach Zainal Abidin Hassan has been tapped to rescue Super League side Penang from relegation.
Sources claim Zainal has been signed on until the end of the season as a replacement for Ashley Westwood after the Englishman's contract was terminated earlier this week.
Penang are embroiled in a relegation fight for a second consecutive year and are also on the cusp of missing out on qualification for the Malaysia Cup again.
They currently sit at the bottom of the Super League table with just two points from eight games and were eliminated from the FA Cup in the third round by Premier League leaders Negri Sembilan, in what was Westwood's last game in charge.
The Penang Football Association have scheduled a media conference in Georgetown on Friday to announce Zainal's appointment and possible changes in the playing squad.
However, a source said Zainal has not been introduced to the squad yet with assistant coach Darren Read handling training this week.
Zainal, 55, has been without a team since being replaced as Selangor coach in the middle of the 2016 season after moving from Pahang, where he won the Malaysia Cup and FA Cup in 2014.