KUALA LUMPUR: National Under-19 coach Bojan Hodak hopes rising star Hadi Fayyadh Abdul Razak will not fail and return home early from his stint at Japan’s J2 side Fagiano Okayama.
In the past, many Malaysian players abruptly return after securing contracts with clubs in various leagues.
Hodak said Hadi is a player with quality and he will need to do better than the Japanese strikers at his club.
"Many Malaysian footballers have had unsuccessful stints abroad. They decide to return home due to various reasons. I hope Hadi will last longer over there," said Bojan.
"As far as I am concerned, playing for a J2 club is already very good for a Malaysian player and he (Hadi) needs to work hard to succeed in the league which is much more challenging (than Malaysia).
"But I am confident Hadi can do it because he is a very hard working player. It has always been his dream to play in Japan and with the quality he has he can make a name for himself there."
Hadi was announced as Fagiano’s new signings on Friday. He signed for one year.
Last season, the team, coached by Tetsu Nagawasa, finished their league campaign in 15th place.