ISL 2016 : 5 Indian players who must be retained by their respective clubs
ISL 2016 is coming down to its conclusion tomorrow as Kerala Blasters face Atletico de Kolkata at their home turf in the grand finale of India's premier football competition. A league which has domination of foreign players on every team, it's hard for young Indian players to make their mark on the minds of the supporters.
This was the case in the third edition as well where foreign players ran the show and Indian players had to play a side role. Some of them shone despite this fact which included the likes of Mandar Rao Desai and Prabir Das. There were some who were as important to their respective teams as their foreign players. So let's take a look at the five best Indian players of this season who must be retained by their clubs next season to perform well in ISL 2017:
#5 Jerry Lalrinzuala - Chennaiyin FC
Chennaiyin FC, the reigning champions could not defend their title and failed to qualify for the knockout stages. One youngster stood above the rest for the Super Machans as the 18-year-old fullback, Jerry Lalrinzuala made his mark on the ISL this season. Manager Marco Materazzi was highly impressed by the youngster in the preseason and gave the AIFF Elite Academy graduate his well-deserved chance.
After displacing Mohanraj after the first game itself, the youngster managed to keep Chennaiyin's marquee player, John Arne Riise out of the starting eleven for most of the games. The 18-year-old was strong in defence and was brilliant offensively as Jerry showed immense work rate whenever he was given the opportunity. He scored a sublime free kick against FC Goa which reflected his prowess on both sides of the field.
Super Machans will have to do everything in their power to keep hold of the talented fullback who made 29 tackles, 16 interceptions and also won 6 aerial duels despite his short frame.