ISL 2019-20: 5 players who could use the season to receive a national team recall

#4 Michael Soosairaj

Michael Soosairaj is yet to get an ample amount of chances on the international stage.

After taking the I-League by storm in Chennai City's maiden season, Michael Soosairaj was an instant hit in the player market. He switched to Jamshedpur FC in the ISL and showed glimpses of brilliance and excellence. His good work earned him a call-up to the Indian team for the King's Cup 2019 in Thailand. Soosairaj did make an appearance but was rather lacklustre and was not shortlisted for the two FIFA World Cup 2022 qualification games against Qatar and Oman.

Now with ATK, Soosairaj is part of a team that has a very strong midfield and attack to perform well and take ATK to the pinnacle. He can do it while also being supported in reaching his personal targets. However, all that strength and depth also means added competition to find a place in the team with the likes of Javier Hernandez, Carl McHugh, David Williams, Edu Garcia, Jobby Justin and Roy Krishna all in the mix for the same starting places. If Soosairaj does manage to nail down a regular spot in the team, he could just get back into the National side.

#3 Jobby Justin

Jobby Justin has not been able to capture Igor Stimac's attention.

Jobby Justin was the talk of the town among the Indian football fraternity last season. With an unprecedented performance for East Bengal in the I-League under Alejandro Menendez, scoring nine goals in 17 games, making him a favourite of the Red and Gold faithful. Despite such fanfare, Justin swapped to rivals ATK for a huge transfer fee, making him one of the most highly paid Indian footballers of all time.

However, Stimac does not seem to acknowledge the brilliant show at the I-League by Justin. He did give him a few minutes in the Intercontinental Cup but nothing more Justin was dropped from both the games India played against Qatar and Oman in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.

Jobby Justin has to push himself to secure a place in the ATK line-up that is already stacked when it comes to attacking options, in order to convince Stimac that he deserved to turn out for the Blue Tigers.