One or two FC Pune City players could easily play in England: Coach David Platt

FC Pune City paid handsomely for I-League Midfielder of the Year Eugeneson Lyngdoh (L) at the ISL auction

FC Pune City have been making all the right moves ahead of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) Season two as the club look to put behind the disappointments of last season behind and start afresh. The biggest coup that Hrithik Roshan’s side pulled off was getting David Platt on board as the manager of the team.

The former title-winning Manchester City assistant manager has since made a great impact at the club which has allowed them to capture some top foreign talent in Ivorian Didier Zokora, Romanian Adrian Mutu and Tuncay Sanli of Turkey.

Pleasantly surprised by Indian players’ quality: Platt

But it’s the Indian talent that has caught the eye of the English manager who admitted that he was taken aback by the local players at his disposal. “When I arrived here, I had a semi-negative feedback of the Indian players. I was told it was all about the foreign players.

“But seeing some of the Indian guys play has totally taken me aback. I was pleasantly surprised by their quality”, revealed Platt at the ISL Media Day.

“The quality is there not just in terms of skill and physical fitness, but their interpretation of the tactics and eagerness and enthusiasm towards the game is second to none”, added the former Arsenal and Juventus midfielder.

Indian players can make an impact in Championship or League One: Platt

David Platt knows everything about English football having spent almost his entire life playing there. When asked if he believed any of his Indian players are good enough to make a move to his homeland, Platt needed no second thoughts in claiming so.

“Yes, most definitely. I can see one or two Indian players from our squad, whom I wouldn’t like to name, having that much quality to play in England.

“The Premier League might be a step too high for them, but they can certainly make an impact in League One or the Championship,” he said.

But the Lancashire-born manager had a piece of warning for those players who could possibly make that move in the near future. “I feel the biggest challenge when making such a big step up is dealing with that sense of achievement. It is easy to get overwhelmed after getting your dream move.

“So I hope if anyone from India does manage to play in England, is able to deal with the fact of getting there,” he concluded.