ISL 2020-21: Chennaiyin FC's Aman Chetri determined to earn starting spot 

Chennaiyin FC youngster Aman Chetri is eager to impress new boss Csaba Laszlo and secure a place in the starting eleven ahead of the 2020-21 Indian Super League season.

The 19-year-old played senior football for the first time with Indian Arrows, where he was on loan last season.

Speaking of his experience to Sportskeeda, Aman Chetri said:

"I got my senior football exposure with Indian Arrows. I will always be thankful to them for providing me an avenue to develop in one of India's best leagues. First of all, Venkatesh sir helped me evolve as a player. He always took good care of me and corrected my mistakes individually."

Before the temporary move to Indian Arrows, Aman Chetri spent a couple of years with the reserves side. He hailed Sabir Pasha and other coaches for helping him take strides and for pushing him to the next level.

Aman Chetri also complimented the facilities at Chennaiyin FC and believes it will help future stars reach great heights:

"Training, facilities, and infrastructure - everything was on point. If you are provided with good coach and facilities, you always try to take yourself to the next level.

"I trained under Sabir Pasha when I first joined Chennaiyin FC B team three years back. He and other coaches played a huge part in my development. They pushed me a lot and taught me several things to improve my footballing knowledge."

Aman Chetri is not the first player to enter into the first-team fray from the Chennaiyin FC reserves. The likes of Anirudh Thapa and Jerry Lalrinzuala came through the youth ranks of the Marina Machans and cemented their place in the starting eleven of the senior side. He revealed that the duo has been supportive to him over the years when they represented the Blue Colts.

Aman Chetri added that he wants to follow the footsteps of Thapa and Lalrinzuala to break into the coach's plans for the forthcoming campaign.

"When I was with India U-16, I looked up to Anirudh Thapa and Jerry Lalrinzuala, who were with the U-19s few years ago. We have exchanged texts and they have advised me at times to keep me motivated. I will definitely talk with them once we regroup for the pre-season. They deserve to be where they are because of their hard work. Hence, I want to replicate them and become a first team regular."

The Guwahati-born attacker is on his heels to begin training with the first team of Chennaiyin FC and gain more minutes on the pitch during the campaign.

We will miss the fans' presence in the stadium: Aman Chetri

Aman Chetri stated that the absence of supporters from the stadiums will be a huge miss:

"It's always great to have fans by your side. They have been tremendous since I came here. Of course, we will miss their presence in the stadium. That being said, every other team in the league are in the same situation. We will be focused on the primary element - that is play good football and win games.

First of all, I need to spend some minutes on the pitch as this is my first year with the senior squad. It's not going to be easy, but I'll work my socks off for that. I'll try to help the club and make the fans proud going into the new season."

With the whole ISL 2020-21 season bound to take place in Goa, Chennaiyin FC will play their home games in GMC Athletic Stadium in Bambolim.