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Indian Super League (ISL) outfit Mumbai City FC has announced that their star midfielder Lalengmawia 'Apuia' Ralte has traveled to Belgium for a two-week training stint with sister club Lommel SK.
The box-to-box midfielder will train under the coaches and staff of the Belgian First Division B side.
Since bursting onto the scene in the 2020-21 season, Apuia has earned plaudits from vast sections of experts and fans.
The 21-year-old midfielder has continued with his fine form under Des Buckingham since joining the Islanders in 2021.
In a statement by the club, Mumbai City FC's CEO shared insight on Apuia's short-term stint abroad. He said:
“Through our association with City Football Group, we knew it would open a pathway for players and coaches to have access to the Group’s collective resources and it brings me great pleasure to be able to see Apuia get the benefits of the technical expertise and know-how of our friends at Lommel SK."
He added:
"This is an indication that talent at Mumbai City will be furthered and nurtured within the Group and this can potentially open doors for others to gain a similar experience too. I want to thank our colleagues at Lommel and CFG for facilitating this training stint and we wish Apuia the very best for his time in Belgium.”
Although City Football Group's agreement to acquire a majority investment in Mumbai City FC still awaits approval, the club still receives advisory services from the consortium.
Mumbai City FC focused on getting all-three points against Emami East Bengal FC
Mumbai City FC are scheduled to take on Kolkata giants Emami East Bengal FC in their final Group B encounter. In a club statement, head coach Des Buckingham shared his views on the game against the Red and Gold Brigade. He said:
"I am very happy with the team's performance so far. We have been improving in the way we want to play. We had five different goal scorers in the previous game, so it shows the players are getting into good momentum."
He added:
"We have already secured qualification to the next round of the tournament, but there is still a game left that too against the home side East Bengal. They are a quality side and it will certainly be a good challenge for us, especially with the crowd cheering for them."
Buckingham also said that the plan for now is to try and maintain the momentum.
"We are looking forward to the game against East Bengal, and our focus will be to keep the momentum going and stick to the plans."
The Islanders started their 2022 Durand Cup with a 4-1 win over the Indian Navy FT followed by a 1-1 draw against ATK Mohun Bagan. They picked up their third win against Rajasthan United FC, beating the I-League side 5-1 to book a place in the quarter-finals.
