5 Young Players who shined in the Kerala Blasters FC shirt over the years
Kerala Blasters FC has always been a motivation to many young players in the country. The team has given sufficient priority in offering chances to the young guns.
A number of players have spent a reasonable amount of time on the ISL pitch in the Blasters shirt.
The very first ISL season under David James took Blasters to the final, thanks to the contribution of many fresh legs.
Even when the club was in their relatively poor seasons, the managers who came and went continued experimenting the players with potential. Terry Phelan, Steve Coppell, Rene Meulensteen were all supportive to the local boys.
The ongoing 2018-19 season has seen even more opportunities knock on the doors of youngsters in India. The U-17 World Cup of 2017 helped the managers get a better view of the hidden talents and offer them ISL berths.
David James was very fast getting this to use, signing players like Dheeraj Singh and Mohammed Rakip. Other clubs too have brought young players like Komal Thatal (ATK) to their camps.
Still, a lot of players remain to be identified and brought to the limelight. Indian football is in the shadow of hope ISL has offered and believes all gifted players will be molded into future stars.
Here, we take a look at five young players who made or are making good use of the time they are spending in the yellow jersey.
#5 Dheeraj Singh
The name Dheeraj Singh is familiar to most football fans in India. The young goalkeeper rose to fame during the U-17 World Cup which India hosted. Dheeraj was spectacular under the bars for the team and even got appreciation from abroad.
Soon after the tournament concluded, the 18-year old went on trials to Scottish Premier League club, Motherwell FC. However, he could not make a deal with the club due to the work permit issues he faced.
This was when Kerala Blasters came into the scene, offering the young boy a contract, which succeeded. Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem was seen at the Blasters goal during the LaLiga World and then in the first two matches of Blasters this season.
Though it is early to say that the custodian has shone in the Blasters shirts, he hasn't disappointed on the occasions he was picked.
From the two matches, he kept one clean sheet and made six saves. Dheeraj has faced 19 shots in ISL but has responded way better than expectations from an 18-year old.
The Manipur-born has pulled off some eye-raising saves which is an indication of what is yet to come. Overall, Dheeraj has shown good discipline and composure at the custodian position of Blasters so far.