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In a surprising move, Mumbai City FC have brought in midfielder Vinit Rai on loan until the end of the season, the club officially announced late on Wednesday.
Rai was declared one of the captains for the season by Odisha FC along with Hector Rodas and Victor Mongil. The midfielder was roped in by the now defunct Delhi Dynamos FC prior to the 2017-18 season.
Since then, he has been a part of the setup. He remained an integral part of the squad even after the club was rebranded as Odisha FC. This season, he appeared in all the matches for the ISL team except for the most recent one against Mumbai City FC. The Assam-born player has also featured for the Indian National Team, playing 9 matches in the blue jersey.
The move appears to come on the back of an injury suffered by Mumbai City FC midfielder Rowllin Borges. Borges, who was critical to the Islanders' success last season, has only played 50 minutes this season due to a recurring injury. That left head coach Des Buckingham with one less option in midfield as Apuia and Ahmed Jahouh started the matches.
Reinforcements in the January transfer window were needed for Mumbai City FC after their recent slump in form. After kicking off the season with a convincing victory over arch-rivals FC Goa, the defending champions were defeated by Hyderabad FC. The team continued to get consecutive wins after that match until they faced Kerala Blasters FC. The Men In Yellow gave a 3-0 thumping to the Islanders, post which the latter fell to a disappointing draw against NorthEast United FC and an embarrassing loss against Odisha FC.
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As they have conceded 10 goals in the last 3 matches, this move seems to be the right one for Des Buckingham's side. It will be interesting to see if Vinit Rai manages to find minutes at his new temporary home.
