A whirlwind year for Afiq Fazail as he established himself in JDT's star-studded midfield, earns him #2 spot in the Most Promising Players list.

Goal count down the Most Promising Players from the top competitions in the Malaysian football season in 2017, and here's number 2.

Bumped up from Johor Darul Ta'zim II into Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT), Afiq has gone from strength to strength, taking every challenge thrown his way to become one of the mainstays in the JDT team, where more illustrious compatriots have failed in those challenges.

A central midfielder, Afiq's position is often the deepest of the trio of midfielders formation that both Benjamin Mora and Ulisses Morais prefer. A metronome type of player, Afiq's main duty is as a recycler of the ball, someone who becomes the link between defence and midfield.
Not the flashiest of players, you won't find Afiq opting for the extravagant passes or dribbling through a maze of players, Afiq keeps his game very simple and allow the other player in the JDT team to be the more eye-catching players.

His rise to prominence has not gone unnoticed outside of JDT. Nelo Vingada gave the 23-year-old his first senior international cap for Malaysia, against DPR Korea recently. While Ong Kim Swee is also an admirer of Afiq, ruing the fact that his age is only just outside of the Under-23 requirement. The return of Gary Steven Robbat has seen Afiq's place in the starting XI being reduced and the two should continue to duke it out in the coming season. It could set up for a fantastic healthy rivalry but with the expected huge number of games in store for JDT in 2018, both could see see a high number of game minutes.