North East United rope in former Cameroon International Andre Bikey
In order to resurrect their ongoing ISL campaign, John Abraham’s North East United has signed experienced Cameroon defender Andre Bikey. The 30-year-old was a free agent, having left England’s Championship side, Charlton Athletic, after finishing his one year contract.
A North East United official told Sportskeeda, “Bikey is being brought in to replace Miguel Garcia, his experience with Premier League clubs such as Reading will add a lot of qualities ot the team. We will depending on him to solve our defensive frailties.”
With Miguel Garcia, Boubacar Sanogo and Kondwani Mtonga being ruled out of the Indian Super League (ISL) due to injuries, the North East franchise needs to find proper replacements for the high profile players.
Bikey began his career in Spain at the age of fifteen, before having short spells in Russia with Shinnik Yaroslavl and Lokomotiv Moscow. In 2006, he moved to England where he joined Reading on loan after a trial. After three successful seasons at Reading, he later moved to Burnley, where he spent a major part of his career.
The well built Cameroonian defender has played for a total of five English clubs, namely Burnley, Reading, Bristol City, Middlesborough and Charlton.
The 30-year old is known for his strong physical presence, along with his ability to score goals, during pressure situations.
Nothing has gone as per Coach Caeser Farias’s plans so far. The experienced Venezuelan gaffer desperately needs more resources to build up a strong side, after a number of important players being ruled out.
Currently they are languishing at the bottom of the table, after losing their first 3 matches of the tournament. The North East franchise has not been able to find a proper leader on the field with marquee player Simao struggling to recover from an injury.
Their finishing has also been woeful in the last match against FC Goa with the strikers missing a host of easy opportunities, that could have at least garnereda point for the home side.