Intercontinental Cup 2018: 'Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem can do a lot for the country', says Gurpreet Singh Sandhu

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu hails Dheeraj as a great prospectEnter caption
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu hails Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem as a great prospect

Indian custodian Gurpreet Singh Sandhu believes that Motherwell FC bound Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem can be the next No. 1 in the Indian National team. Gurpreet hailed him as a great prospect who has the capability to serve and offer a lot to the nation; as he spoke ahead of the Intercontinental Cup where India will play host to New Zealand, Kenya and Chinese Taipei, in Mumbai.

Speaking on who can succeed him in the national squad, Gurpreet, who is the first Indian goalkeeper to feature in a UEFA Europa League tie, said, “It is a question to which I don’t have an answer because I don’t know the answer. Being the first choice goalkeeper so far has been good for me, but I can’t take my place for granted.

"I have to work hard enough, to earn my place in the team and that’s how it has been for the last 2 years. Whoever the next one is, I hope he is better than me and that’s what I would want. If I feel he is better than me and can contribute more than me I would be glad enough to be replaced by him”.

The 26-year-old keeper went on to add, “I have high hopes from Dheeraj. Everyone has their eye on him including me; because he is a very good prospect and can do a lot for the country”.

Reportedly, Dheeraj has been offered a three-year contract by the Scottish legendary club Motherwell FC which requires the 17-year-old Manipuri to turn adult and complete a rather tricky UK work permit, for which the club has already applied on behalf of him.

Gurpreet, who was almost in a similar phase in 2014 when he became the second Indian custodian after Subrata Paul to play professionally in Europe, admitted that it’s important to be mentally strong for a player who wishes to move outside of India.

“Anyone who wants to go outside must have a strong mentality because it’s not going to be easy out there. One can catch up on the physical front by training as hard or twice as hard as the others, but it’s not the same with the mental part. It took me 2 years to catch up and outperform my fellow competitors and I think I stuck there because of my mentality,” he continued.

Speaking upon the importance of the Intercontinental Cup, and the team’s preparations for it, the Punjab born goalie said: “I think it is a very good chance for us to start building up for the Asian Cup. We are very lucky to have good teams coming to India and giving us this opportunity. It is for us to use them as a learning curve and perform because all of the three teams are tough enough.”

When quizzed about India’s counter to Harambee Stars’ physicality dominance, Gurpreet sounded pretty confident.

“I think we need to stick to our strong points. If Kenya are good physically then we are not bad as well. We are good on set pieces and we can take advantage of that. I think Kenya is a very good side. They are physical as well. So we need to focus on our strength and perform as the day comes.”

Meanwhile, Mumbai City FC forward Balwant Singh, who addressed the media before Gurpeet, was of the similar opinion that all the three teams participating in the 4-nation tournament are strong and assured that he would try to score as many goals as possible, whenever given a chance.

The second choice Indian striker lauded the Mumbai crowd and concluded by stating, “It’s really special to play in front of the Mumbai crowd because the fans are really passionate and supportive; even when it’s turn for the National team to play. I think it’s an amazing experience to play in Mumbai.”

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Edited by Sagnik Kundu