Burnley captain Josh Brownhill says open to join Harimau Malaya ...
Burnley captain Josh Brownhill says he has Malaysian roots through his grandmother. — Picture from Instagram/Josh Brownhill
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By Zurairi A.R.
Sunday, 08 Sep 2024 6:17 PM MYT
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8 — English midfielder Josh Brownhill is reportedly open to represent Harimau Malaya as a heritage player.
According to local football scouting community FR Future Talents on X, the captain of EFL Championship team Burnley said he is linked to Malaysia through his grandmother.
“I can confirm that I do have Malaysian roots through my grandmother, which is something I take great pride in,” Brownhill reportedly wrote in reply to FR Future Talents’ email inquiry.
“While I have focused on my club career up until now, the possibility of representing Malaysia at the international level is something I would be open to considering.”
“I appreciate the interest and support from fans and the Malaysian football community, and I will be sure to carefully consider any future opportunities in this regard,” he added.
Brownhill has not made any public statement so far over this.
We received an email reply from Josh Brownhill confirming that he has Malaysian roots through his grandmother and will consider representing Malaysia!
The Burnley captain, stated that he would consider representing Malaysia with his market value of €15.00M ! https://t.co/WWqmUDfbsO pic.twitter.com/7QlosVsbCn
Playing mainly as a central midfielder, Brownhill has also played in defensive and attacking midfield positions.
With a market value of €15 million (RM77 million) according to Transfermarkt, Brownhill has 172 appearances and 16 goals since joining Burnley in January 2020.
FR Future Transfers previously teased that the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) had scouted English and Dutch players with Malaysian roots.
This comes as national football legend Datuk Dollah Salleh warned that heritage players or players with Malaysian ancestry should only be selected if they are able to make a difference to Harimau Malaya and they should not be randomly fitted into the team.
