Bengaluru FC colts head coach Naushad Moosa is optimistic that the level of football in India will go higher through the Next Gen Cup. It will be a great opportunity for the young boys to grab their chances as they will get the right exposure through the Next Gen Cup.
There is no doubt that the youngster will learn a lot after participating in the tournament and they will aim to be at their best. In fact, Indian captain Sunil Chhetri recently said that he never received such an opportunity as a youngster and feels it will be a great learning curve for the young boys.
The Reserve team of Bengaluru FC will take on academy sides of some of the best Premier League clubs and it will be a great learning experience for the colts.
Bengaluru FC had topped the points table in the Reliance Foundation Development League 2021-22 season with six wins in seven matches and a total of 19 points and thus had won the tournament and qualified for Next Gen Cup.
“This is something great that Reliance and FSDL have done. This partnership will really help. I could hear the players speaking that there might be some scouts, and we can get a bigger opportunity. So, this is something that goes into a player’s mind and they might want to give a better performance at least thinking that they might get an opportunity. So this is something which is really nice. I feel this partnership between FSDL and the Premier League should go a long way,” Moosa said.
Moosa added that he advised the youngsters to enjoy their football when they were participating in the RFDL.
“When we went for the RFDL, I told the boys to go there and enjoy the football. It was not that we were going on a vacation, we had a purpose. That really worked for us. And that’s the reason we are here now. I would like to thank FSDL and even the Premier League for giving us this great opportunity. It’s a very big platform for these boys to come and perform here,” Moosa added.
The Blue Colts will take on Leicester City FC on Wednesday.
Here is the full squad of Bengaluru FC: Goalkeepers: Dipesh Chauhan, Sharon Padattil Defenders: Felixson Fernandes, Clarence Fernandes, Robin Yadav, Namgyal Bhutia, Rajanbir Singh, Tomthinganba Meetei Midfielders: Kamalesh Palanisamy, Bekey Oram, Shighil Nambrath, Damaitphang Lyngdoh, Lalhmingchuanga Fanai, Lalremtuanga Fanai Strikers: Lalpekhlua, Monirul Molla, Ankith Padmanabhan, Thoi Singh, Sivasakthi Narayanan, Akashdeep Singh.
