The fate of Newcastle United still hang in the balance as the club is yet to finalise their proposed takeover. However, that does not mean that the scouts will sit idle and not try to poach the next talented youngster that they can lay their hands upon.
In this context, HMetro now states that Newcastle United want to bring Luqman Hakim to their team in the offseason. The starlet would be the first Malaysian to join the Magpies if they can successfully bring him to England.
Who is Luqman Hakim?
The 18-year-old forward is considered to be the most talented player that Malaysia has ever produced. He started his career at Mokhtar Dahari Academy before being a household name in the country. The Malaysia Super League usually sees foreign players take up the striker’s position for the sides, but Hakim is an exception.
The young talent, at the moment, is playing for Selangor 2, but fate could have taken him to Europe even earlier than expected. Belgian club KV Kortrijk made an approach for him, and he decided to join the side. However, things fell through due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and eventually he had to agree on terms with his present club. The way he is improving, he would be a great addition to the Newcastle side.
Although he is only of 18, he has already featured for Malaysia in the U-23 squad after performing majestically for the U-19 and the U-16 sides. The whole nation believes that pretty soon he would be able to make his debut for the senior squad of the national team.
The difficulty for him at Newcastle
The most significant complication that Hakim would face at Newcastle is the work permit issue. The stringent rules by FA for granting work permits to players wishing to play in the top tier of English football may prove to be an obstacle for the talented youth player. For the same reason, the club would have no other alternative but to loan him to a different country at the moment. Playing in another league for a few years would make it easier for Newcastle United to get a work permit and that is what the management should do.
The main qualities of the Malaysian
Hakim is a prolific goalscorer with him finding the back of the net regularly for his sides. He usually plies his trade at a centre-forward position, but cannot be termed as a mere poacher, as he has shown remarkable creativity in the final third. The Malaysian’s link-up play and tendency to beat the last line of defence with his dribbling skills and pace make him an asset for the side. Physically he needs to improve, but time is on his side, and an advent to European football will indeed make him a complete footballer.
