PJ CITY FC hope their strikers will be on fire when the M-League resumes next month.
The Phoenix had wanted to beef up their strikeforce by securing the services of former international Ahmad Hazwan Bakri from Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT), but the loan deal did not materialise.
Striker Darren Lok is still recovering from a fractured fibula and may not be available when the Super League resumes on July 24.
Coach P. Maniam said he will be banking on former internationals Mahali Jasuli and Khyril Muhymeen Zambri to lead their attack.
"Darren needs another three weeks before he can rejoin training. We have Mahali and Khyril as options, although they are not natural strikers," said Maniam, whose team had resumed training five days ago in Petaling Jaya.
"Other options are Syahmi Zamri and M. Kogileswaran Raj, who are making progress in training.
"We did not manage to sign any players during the transfer window, but we have promoted a striker and a defender from our President's Cup squad to the senior team."
PJ City are eighth with 15 points in the Super League standings. They are the only team in the league without foreign players.
"We have just resumed training, and I believe we have enough time to rectify our weaknesses before the restart.
"The team are solid at the back, but we need to improve our attack. In training, we are focusing on ways to create more chances during matches.
"We have another nine games left, and we need more points to remain above the drop zone," he added.