"He has not been banished to the reserves" - East Bengal head coach Stephan Constantine clarifies Aniket Jadhav's situation

East Bengal (EB) stirred up the transfer market when they acquired the services of Aniket Jadhav from reigning champions Hyderabad FC (HFC) ahead of the 2022-23 Indian Super League (ISL) season.

However, all the buzz around his signing has died down after the gifted winger failed to feature in either of the Kolkata giants' first two league games.

Rumors spread like wildfire that Aniket had fallen out with head coach Stephen Constantine and was demoted to the reserve team. But the English tactician, in a press conference on Tuesday, October 18, put an end to all those conjectures as he clarified his stance on the situation. Constantine said:

"He has not been banished to the reserves as some people think. He has to understand the way we're trying to play. He played for so many years on the right side and was cutting in to shoot with his left. But I bet if you count the number of goals he has with his left foot, it's less than three."

Super excited to be part of this legendary club, Emami East Bengal FC 💛❤️ I will try my level best to bring glory and success to the club in the seasons ahead. I can't wait to perform in front of our Red & Gold Brigade 💪🏻⚽

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The former Indian national team head coach underlined that, under him, East Bengal play with traditional wingers (right-footed players on the right and vice versa). Although Aniket is well capable of doing that, consistency has been a major issue for the 22-year-old. Constantine explained:

"We play slightly differently. I want the right midfield player to be right-footed, go past his man, and cross. Aniket can do that, but he has to be consistent. The problem also is with regard to what he is doing without the ball. Hence, I put him on the reserve team so he could get some match practice, which he hasn't had."

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Aniket recently featured in the Calcutta Football League (CFL) game against Aryan FC, with East Bengal fielding their reserve team with six players from the main squad. The Red and Gold Brigade were held to a 1-1 draw. Constantine was present in the game and left with a desire to see a lot more from the reserves.

However, questions like "Why was Aniket signed in the first place if he didn't fit the player profile ?" still lingers on. Last season, the AIFF Elite Academy graduate was one of the pivotal pieces of Hyderabad FC's ISL title-winning campaign. To see him squabbling for a spot even in East Bengal's squad is quite a puzzling turn of events.

"We will probably have a look at him in the future" - Stephen Constantine on Jesin TK and his goal for East Bengal in CFL

Meanwhile, in the CFL clash, Jesin TK scored East Bengal's only goal of the game. The 22-year-old started his footballing career with Kerala United but came into the limelight for his performances in the Santosh Trophy earlier this year.

He now holds the record for the fastest hat-trick in the history of the tournament.

Asked by Sportskeeda if the prolific forward could make a jump into East Bengal's ISL squad in the near future, Constantine replied:

"First, we will have to bring him up to train with the first team and see if he can adapt. It was a tap-in goal [against Aryan FC] that he didn't create but tapped the ball in from two yards. But he was in the right position at the right time. We will probably have a look at him in the future."

It remains to be seen if Jesin features for East Bengal in the ISL this season.