Koevermans leaves out Jeje, Manandeep for Singapore friendly

New Delhi - India’s chief football coach Wim Koevermans has left out strikers Manandeep Singh and Jeje Lalpeklua from the 20-man squad for the international away friendly in Singapore slated for Oct 16.

Manandeep is injured while Koevermans was unimpressed with Jeje’s fitness.

The match will be Koevermans first since leading India to its third successive Nehru Cup triumph in September.

“We need to assess ourselves. We need more such matches,” said Koevermans.

Sunil Chhetri will be leading the team.

“It feels nice to think that I will be playing for the national team along with all my mates. The Nehru Cup triumph stays fresh in our memories and we need to sustain the momentum,” he said.

The Indian team will arrive in Singapore Oct 13.

The squad:

Goalkeepers: Subrata Pal, Subhasish Roychowdhury, Karanjeet Singh.

Defenders: Nirmal Chhetri, Denzil Franco, Gouramangi Singh, Gurwinder Singh, Raju Gaikwad, Syed Rahim Nabi.

Midfielders: Lenny Rodrigues, Mehtab Hossain, Jewel Raja, Francis Fernandes, Alwyn George, Anthony Pereira, Sanju Pradhan, Clifford Miranda.

Forwards: Robin Singh, Sunil Chhetri, Joaquim Abranches.