Mumbai, Nov 6: Indian Super League (ISL) club FC Pune City Thursday signed former Arsenal and Liverpool footballer Jermaine Pennant as a replacement for injured Colombian Omar Andres Rodrigues Martinez.
Omar Rodrigues was ruled out of the ISL inaugural season due to a kidney complaint, according to an ISL release.
The 31 year old Jermaine Pennant is a right winger whose style of play resembles that of Aaron Lennon and Theo Walcott. Like these two more successful names, he uses his strength and pace to launch runs down the right side, and he can use his skills to beat full backs as well.
The man from Nottingham had joined English Premier League giants Arsenal in 1999, at the age of 15 years, from his first club Notts County and remained there until 2005. In 2006, he moved to Liverpool on a four-year contract, and made over 50 appearances for them.
During his career he also played for other Premier League sides like Stoke City, Birmingham City and Portsmouth, and also played in Spain's La Liga for Real Zaragoza. He was last seen in competitive action earlier this year in the colours of Stoke City.
Though never capped as a full England international, he played for the England under-21 team more than 20 times, and was considered as his nation’s future for a considerable time.