India vs Oman: Five youngsters to look out for

Seityasen Singh

Seityasen Singh was an integral member of the Wahingdoh team that finished third in the I-League

Age: 23Position: Winger/ Inside forwardI-League: Royal WahingdohISL: did not play in ISLInternational caps: 0 International goals: 0

He is another raw talent from Manipur. Along with Jackichand, Seityasen was instrumental in Wahingdoh’s success this year. Jackichand and he have been combining really well in midfield, playing one-two passes with a lot of flair, their fluidity and flair reminding many of us of Arsenal’s passing football, which is very uncommon in the Indian circuit.

Seitya is an attacking wide midfielder but is comfortable in the centre, playing the role of aa shadow striker or a playmaker in the hole right behind the striker. He is quick to get to rebounds and often pulls defenders away by making great runs and makes space for the striker. He finished the season for Wahigdoh with 6 goals in total. Although he hasn’t made his debut for the national team yet, it is expected that he will be a star in the future.

He made his debut for the club way back in 2011 when they played in the second division. He has been performing consistently for them and has matured as a player over time. Playing at a higher level than before has helped his progress tremendously. The nation’s eyes will be on him, and hopefully he‘ll be given a chance to be able to utilize his speed and beat Omani defenders who seem to struggle against pacy wingers.

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu

Gurpreet is seen as a long-term replacement for Subrata Pal

Age: 23Position: Goal KeeperClub: StabækISL: did not play in ISLInternational caps: 1 International goals: 0

The six-and-a-half foot tall goalkeeper is one of the few handful of Indians to have played abroad, completely on merit. Gurpreet is a reserve goalkeeper for Norwegian side Stabæk, who compete in the Norwegian Tippeligaen. He is considered to be one of the biggest talents to have come out of India and just recently made his European debut in a Cup match against Runar, where he kept a clean sheet and his team won the game 6-0.

He started his career at East Bengal in 2009 after being scouted from his regional academy, St.Stephens in Chandigarh. Gurpreet was second choice for East Bengal during his initial years with them, and the team management eventually loaned him out to Pailan Arrows, but he failed to make a first-team appearance.

He eventually came back to be the first team choice for the Red and Yellow Brigade but was criticised heavily for his performances in the AFC Cup. He has shown tremendous maturity as a player by bouncing back and improving as a player, both physically and mentally.

Although Subrata Paul is the first choice goalkeeper for India, he didn't have the greatest of seasons this year. So it won't be misguided to expect that Gurpreet could make a first team appearance against Oman.

Tickets for the India vs Oman match in Bengaluru on 11th June are available at www.kyazoonga.com/indianfootball.