KUALA LUMPUR: Quality local centre-backs are becoming an endangered species, mirroring the dearth of local strikers that has hit the national team hard.
Super League teams are having a tough time searching for players to fill vacant central defence positions in their squads, with very few available on the market.
Among the central defenders looking for a new team are Shahrom Kalam and Ronny Harun, whose contracts with Perak and Sarawak expire this month following the end of the 2017 season.
Former national team players Amiridzwan Taj Tajudin and S. Subramaniam have also been released by PKNS and Kelantan respectively.
But the four players, while experienced and having proven their ability in the past, are all on the wrong side of 30 and led to teams being cautious about taking them on.
Younger players such as Selangor's Adam Nor Azlin and Felcra's Adib Zainuddin have both been reportedly snatched by Super League and Malaysia Cup champions Johor Darul Ta'zim, though the club have confirmed neither transfer.
The shortage of good local centre-backs has led to almost every team in the Super League and Premier League to employ a foreign player in the position last season.
Kuala Lumpur, the Premier League champions who are preparing for their return to the top-flight after an absence of five years, have hit a brick wall in their search for cover in defence.
The city side have entered negotiations with Shahrom, a former KL captain, but are far from closing a deal.
"It has not been easy trying to find good central defenders," said Kuala Lumpur FA general secretary Nokman Mustaffa.
"Although we have a few players in that position, our coach (Fabio Maciel) has asked that we sign another centre-back.
"The problem is that all the good ones are already signed up and we are assessing the ones that are available."
KL have a promising player in Irfan Zakaria, who featured in central defence for the national Under-22 team at the Kuala Lumpur Sea Games but is usually utilised as a defensive midfielder by Maciel.
The lack of central defenders has also affected the national team with Pahang midfielder Kiko Insa even used in defence by national coach Nelo Vingada in one of the two Asian Cup qualifiers against North Korea recently.
Vingada included only three centre-backs in JDT's Fadhli Shas, Shahrom and Adam in his squad for the trip to Buriram with suspension and a family engagement ruling out Aidil Zafuan Radzak and Junior Eldstal respectively.