ISL 2017/18: India U-17 star Komal Thatal joining confirmed, excluded from 25-man ATK squad
What’s the story?
Komal Thatal, the golden-haired golden boy of Indian football, who has been practising with two-time Indian Super League (ISL) champions ATK for some time now, has been confirmed to have joined the Kolkata-based club.
Sources close to ATK told Sportskeeda that Komal Thatal has joined the team but he is not playing in the ISL at the moment as he has not been included in the 25-man squad. As reported earlier, he is practising with the team. However, there is no indication when he will feature for the defending champions.
In case you didn’t know…
Thatal was one of the biggest names in the Indian U-17 team which took part in the FIFA U-17 World Cup in October last year. Although he did not get many opportunities, the youngster impressed one and all with his skills on the pitch.
A couple of weeks back, we had reported that Thatal was training with ATK.
The heart of the matter
Earlier, in the pre-match press conference, ATK assistant coach Bastob Roy had confirmed that Thatal was training with the defending champions. However, he shed little light on when the youngster will take the field in ATK colours. Roy said that chief coach Teddy Sheringham will take a call on that.
However, as it appears, Thatal is not in the 25-man squad for the ISL at the moment, which means he is not eligible to feature in the tournament.
What’s next?
It remains to be seen if Teddy Sheringham drafts the young forward into the 25-man squad. If any player gets injured or leaves the squad, Thatal might just find his way into the ATK team.
Author’s take
It is an exciting opportunity for Thatal, who had reportedly fallen out with the U-17 national team coach Luis Norton de Matos. If given the chance, he will be keen to prove a point to his former coach.