Oxford United boss Des Buckingham has said that Marselino Ferdinan’s impact for his national team of Indonesia is “wonderful”.
Over the international break the 20-year-old scored a brace in a 2-0 World Cup qualifying win against Saudi Arabia.
The midfielder signed for Oxford this summer from Belgium side KMSK Deinze and is still yet to make an appearance for the U’s.
But he will return from international duty with plenty of confidence and more hunger to get onto the pitch in the yellow of Oxford.
“We actually sat and watched him in the game as it was on Saturday lunchtime over here,” Buckingham told BBC Radio Oxford.
“To score two goals and for them to win the game against a strong international nation in Saudi Arabia it’s a wonderful thing for him and Indonesian football.”
Ferdinan is a huge name over in Indonesia, followed by 4.5 million people on Instagram and his most recent post totalling up a whopping one million likes.
Oxford United have been majority owned by Indonesian investors Anindya Bakrie and Erick Thohir since late 2022.
This season has been his first experience of English football and apart from the past two most recent squads, he has not featured in the travelling group for any of Oxford’s other league games this campaign.
However Buckingham feels this might soon change.
“It’s going to take him some time to adapt,” Buckingham added.
“English football is something very different to what he’s used to but, if anything, I’d like to think that the work he’s done here is helping him with the national team.
“It’s now about him competing for spots with the other boys and if he continues to develop at the rate he has done since he arrived then I’m sure it won’t be long until he makes his debut.”
If selected, Ferdinan would become the first ever Indonesian-born player to play in the Championship.