Terengganu coach Nafuzi Zain is confident his new striker Dominique Da Sylva will make an impact in the M-League this season.
The 30-year-old Da Sylva from Mauritius showed glimpses of what he is capable of when he scored a goal in a 2-1 win over third division side Kelantan United during a friendly match in Kuala Terengganu on Friday.
Nafuzi has high expectations of Da Sylva as he was signed to replace Ivory Coast hitman Kipre Tchetche, who left to join Kedah for the 2020 season.
While happy with the way Da Sylva has adapted himself to the team, Nafuzi hopes to test him further during their upcoming friendly matches in Klang Valley against Svay Rieng tonight, Kuala Lumpur (Tuesday) and Hougang United (Thursday).
“Da Sylva has a good understanding of our game play and is getting to know his teammates better, ” said Nafuzi. “His fitness has improved too but we’ve to keep in mind that he’s still adapting.
“It’ll be a good test for Da Sylva and the others in the team when they play against Cambodian champions Svay Rieng, Premier League side KL and Hougang.
“I believe with the hard work put in by Da Sylva and the other players this season, we can make an impact in the M-League.”
He said most of his key players have joined the full training including Sanjar Shaakhmedov, Faris Ramli and Lee Tuck but he had to give more time for Faiz Nasir and Shahrin Sapien as they are injured.
Nafuzi has also planned for a training-cum-playing tour in Bangkok before the league starts on Feb 28.
“The tour in Bangkok early February will help us to fine tune the team’s preparation even further, ” he added.
Last season, the Turtles finished seventh in the 12-team Super League and only reached the last eight of the Malaysia Cup and the FA Cup.