The Asian Age

Chhangte all praise for Stimac

- AGE CORRESPOND­ENT

ISL team Chennaiyin FC’s new signing Lallianzua­la Chhangte, who is part of the Indian team as well, is all praise for national coach Igor Stimac and said he was bringing out “the best out of all of us.” “He is a great coach and understand­s players very well. He is making a lot of competitio­n between the players so that everyone focuses and no one gets a place for free.

If you do great on the training ground, no matter how old or young you are, you will play. He is bringing the best out of all of us,” Chhnagte was quoted as saying by ISL media.

He said holding a strong Qatar to a draw in a recent World Cup qualifier and earning a point was memorable.

“It was a fantastic result for the team and brought great joy for the country. I am a team player and so the priority is getting the results no matter who plays. As an individual, I want to keep working hard and improve every day.

“The Qatar result and performanc­e has been a big lift for everyone,” Chhangte, who moved to Chennaiyin FC from Delhi Dynamos, said.

The 22-year-old from Mizoram is back in India after trying his luck in Europe and is solely focused on guiding Chennaiyin FC back to the top of the ISL.

Asked why he chose CFC, the highly-rated Chhangte said he felt it would be the best for him and the coach (John Gregory) had called him and spoken about his future plans.

“I felt the move would be the best for me. They showed much more interest than other clubs, they made me feel cherished. The coach even called and told me about his future plans. He is willing to help in my developmen­t and I am very grateful to the club,” he added.

Chhangte had had trials with Norwegian club Viking FC, twice, which he termed a great experience and said currently his focus was with Chennaiyin FC and to help them win back the ISL.

“It was a great experience for me in Norway with Viking FC. Currently my focus is with Chennaiyin FC and to help them win back the Indian Super League title.

“As a player, I still aspire to play in Europe one day, but right now I just want to focus on training hard and performing for club and country,” he added.

 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from India