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Vignesh Dakshinamurthy, who arrived at Hyderabad FC as the first signing of the 2023 summer window, initially settled in well at the club.
The left-back, who started games regularly until he was dethroned by young Mark Zothanpuia when the Nawabs shifted to a five-man defence, has found the going tough since then.
He has come off the bench on quite a few occasions but has to now contend with Zothanpuia and Manoj Mohammed for the sole left-back's spot.
Comparisons with his predecessor Akash Mishra have often been made, and maybe unfairly so. Vignesh possibly needs some more time to showcase his wares.
Speaking to the media ahead of Hyderabad's trip to Bhubaneswar for their Indian Super League (ISL) game against Odisha FC on Sunday, Vignesh said:
"We, as players, are not really happy as the season is not going as expected. We see every game as a new opportunity. All the players are fighting on the training pitch keeping that in mind. All of us want to do well and get the first win of the season."
He added:
"It's a new club for me, as well as new teammates. Things are slightly different from my previous club (Mumbai City). The system is also different, but I am trying to adapt to it and getting to know the players. It is slowly coming together."
"We are focusing on ourselves" - Vignesh Dakshinamurthy
Vignesh, who has played with Mourtada Fall and Ahmed Jahouh before at Mumbai City, knows that coming up against them on Sunday will not be easy.
Hyderabad, who are lingering right at the bottom of the league table with a mere four points to their name, will seek a change of fortunes when they come up against the recently crowned AFC Cup South Zone champions.
"Odisha are in really good form. (Ahmed) Jahouh and (Mourtada) Fall have a lot of experience in the ISL. Their team has a good balance of both foreigners and Indians. We are not trying to focus on any particular players. We are focusing on ourselves and trying to get the first win of the season," said Vignesh.
"It will be a tough game since they have home support and are in good form, but we will be prepared for everything," he concluded.
