India vs Oman: Five youngsters to look out for

Dhanpal Ganesh

At 20, Ganesh has a long career in front of him

Age: 20Position: Defensive MidfielderClub: Pune FCISL: did not play in ISLInternational caps: 1 International goals: 0

India has always struggled with the defensive midfielder's position and have often looked towards the likes of Lenny Rodrigues and Mehtab Hossain when they have been in trouble. These two players failed to keep their performances up this season, giving Dhanpal Ganesh a chance to make it into the national side.

The Pune FC graduate is the first player to sign a professional contract for the first team, straight out of the academy. He made his debut for the club in 2011 against Churchill Brothers at Fatorda Stadium. He was later loaned to Pailan Arrows, where he was very consistent with performances, making 18 appearances for them over time. He came back to Pune and became a first-team regular, and has since been featuring regularly for them, making 30 appearances for them in total.

He was called for the preparatory camp for the first round match against Nepal, where he impressed the coaches and showed tremendous promise. Constantine rewarded him by giving him his first cap for India when he came on as a substitute for Eugeneson Lyngdoh in the match against Nepal. The six foot tall midfielder could very well turn out to be the answer to all our problems in defensive midfield.

Romeo Fernandes

Romeo Fernandes became the first player to play for a Brazillian top division team

Age: 20Position: WingerClub: Atletico ParanaenseISL: FC GoaInternational caps: 0 International goals: 0

Romeo Fernandes is the most bankable youngster in the Indian team right now. Although he hasn’t received a call-up for the World Cup Qualifiers he deserves a mention for the sheer talent he possesses.He was scouted by a Dempo youth coach at the age of just 17 and was offered a youth contract the very same year.

He played at every level for Dempo before finally breaking into the fist team in 2011-12. In his three seasons with Dempo, he put in some impressive performances for the Goan team that caught the attention of ISL side FC Goa. At FC Goa, Romeo thrived under Brazilian legend Zico scoring 3 goals in his 11 appearances. Zico was so impressed by the youngster that he recommended him to Atletico Paranaense, who play in Brazil’s top league.

The 22-year-old did not get into the World Cup Qualifying squad as Constantine said the he had not played enough competitive football. His loan to Atletico Paranaense was cancelled so that he could play in the second Edition of the ISL. If he does impress Constantine while playing for FC Goa he would definitely be one to look at for the future.

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