KUALA LUMPUR: Bojan Hodak warned against exposing young players to senior international football before they are ready amid the clamour for change in the national team.
After back-to-back 4-1 defeats to North Korea in Asian Cup qualifying matches, the critics have called for the introduction of young players to stem the national team's decline.
Some have called for the likes of Under-19 players Hadi Fayyadh Razak and Akhyar Rashid to be given the opportunity to play for national coach Nelo Vingada's side but Hodak called the move premature.
"It's a bit too early for that because everywhere else in the world people do it step by step," said national Under-19 coach Hodak today.
"The normal progression would be to move up to the Under-23 level rather than straight to the senior team. The senior team level is too high for the Under-19 players."
Hodak likened promoting Under-19 players to the senior team to primary school students graduating straight to university.
"Maybe the players can be called up to a training camp and see what it is like to train with the senior team," he said.
"But we cannot throw them into international games without gaining the necessary experience. You can't just go from primary school to university.
"It would be better for them to gain experience playing in the Under-23 side first and once they prove their worth then you can consider them.
"The good thing about young players is that they can adapt quickly and after six months we can see where they are."
In the two matches against North Korea, Vingada gave several young players their senior team debuts including Adam Nor Azlin, Afiq Fazail, Ahmad Khairil Anuar Ahmad Zamri, Nor Azam Azih and Syafiq Ahmad.
Others who made their debut earlier this year include Syamer Kutty Abba, Shahrel Fikri Fauzi, Hafizul Hakim Khairul Nizam Jothy and Amirul Azhan Aznan.
Safawi Rasid and Hadin Azman made their maiden senior appearances last year and it would appear that Vingada already has a spine of young talent to build upon hence Hodak considers it unnecessary for his Under-19 players to be added to senior squad.
"We don't want to make the mistake of calling up young players and then when they can't perform at that level, they lose their confidence," he said.
Turning to his side's preparation for the AFC Under-19 Championship in Indonesia next year, Hodak said the FA of Malaysia received an invitation to play in a tournament in Jakarta next February.
"We have just received the invite and we will need to decide whether to accept or not. But most likely we will go," he said.