AFC U-17 Asian Cup 2023: Top five Indian players to watch out for

All these five players have the potential to turn the fortunes in their team's favour.

The India U-17 Team are all set to participate in the 2023 AFC U-17 Asian Cup in Thailand. This will be the first time that the Blue Colts take part in such a tournament in their history. The Indian side has been preparing for this challenging competition for the last few months and travelled to Europe for a preparatory camp as well.

Indeed, Bibiano Fernandes’ side took part in a few friendly games and training sessions in Germany recently and even took part in some matches in Spain as well. Even though they are heading into the competition on the back of a few successive wins in friendly games, India are aware that the AFC U-17 Asian Cup is a completely different ball game.

They will face some major threats like Japan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam in their group. Even though India are the underdogs of the group, they will surely try to pull off a few upsets with strong performances. Fernandes’ squad is filled with impressive talent, but there are a few particular ones that manage to stand out.

Here we look at the five Indian players to watch out for in the upcoming competition.

5. Gurnaj Singh Grewal

A product of the Chandigarh Football Academy, Gurnaj Singh Grewal has performed pretty well for India U-17 in their recent training camps in Europe. The 16-year-old midfielder is known to be pretty versatile, as he can operate as both a deeper midfielder (No. 6) or even as a box-to-box midfielder (No. 8). Grewal is technically gifted, and known for passing the ball around with a lot of variation and having decent defensive awareness to win back possession in key areas.

He might be a bit of a trump card for India and will aim to operate in the shadows to frustrate the opponents. The 16-year-old needs to produce his best performance for the Blue Colts in the upcoming games, going the extra mile to stop opposition sides from dominating the midfield battle and moving the ball forward smartly. Knowing his impressive technical ability, it won’t be a surprise if Gurnaj shines through for Fernandes’ side in the AFC U-17 Asian Cup.

4. Danny Meitei

Danny Meitei also had a pretty solid outing in the preparatory camps for Bibiano Fernandes’ side and showcased some impressive stuff. The Sudeva Delhi teenager is a winger, who can also slot into a midfield role if necessary. The 16-year-old is known for being blessed with pace and is also quite strong, which allows him to tussle well with opposition defenders.

He is also quite versatile in being able to play in both the wings, using his speed to often dance past defenders into promising areas. He scored two goals in the last four friendly matches for the Blue Colts and is known for possessing impressive finishing ability, as well as creating chances from wide areas. Meitei can be a breath of fresh air for India in the AFC U-17 Asian Cup and will aim to put his menacing style to good use in counter-attacks and swift breaks to torment opponents.

3. Korou Singh

Korou Singh was one of India U-17’s best performers in their tour of Spain, proving himself as a really exciting talent for the Blue Colts. Korou is a bit of a powerhouse in the wings, possessing the ability to dribble past bodies at ease and is blessed with impressive pace too. He scored goals against Atletico Madrid and Getafe’s underage teams in the training matches and is quite the incisive player in the final third.

The Sudeva Delhi U-18 star can be quite unpredictable with his final product and can pounce on opportunities in the final third as well. Singh will aim to replicate his heroics from the Spain training camp in the upcoming AFC U-17 Asian Cup. He’ll look to trouble the defenders with his speedy runs and clever movement to get into promising areas and deliver goals in tense moments for his side.

2. Vanlalpeka Guite

The India U-17 captain has been a regular feature for the side over the last year or so and became one of the favourite ones under Bibiano Fernandes. Guite is an attacking midfielder who loves to cause chaos in the final third as a No. 10.

He is technically gifted, being able to create chances at ease with his impressive vision. Guite is also quite composed in the final third, allowing him to impress with his decision-making. He has scored two goals in the last four friendly matches for the Blue Colts and also caught the pundits' eyes with his leadership skills, being able to march his side forward and working really hard to inspire those beside him.

The teenager will need to lead from the front by being a menacing figure in the attacking areas for India in the AFC U-17 Asian Cup and kick-start the counter-attacks himself. If he’s able to help his side maintain their composure and stay upbeat during games, then Guite can lead India to some bright performances that catch the opponents off-guard.

1. Thanglalsoun Gangte

Thanglalsoun Gangte is going to have quite a lot of responsibilities on his shoulders when it comes to delivering goals for India in the AFC U-17 Asian Cup. The 17-year-old is quite the experienced campaigner for Fernandes’ squad, having played for the Blue Colts for a long time now. He starred in their U-17 SAFF Championship win last year, being the top scorer with four goals.

Gangte has maintained his goal-scoring heroics in recent months too, netting a few against Atletico Madrid U-16s and Real Madrid’s U-17 side in Spain. Gangte is a clinical forward, known for his clever off-the-ball movement and ability to pounce on chances in the final third. Gangte might not have a plethora of chances to score from in the AFC U-17 Asian Cup, but he’ll need to be at his ruthless best to score from whatever chances he gets to help India salvage respectable results in the competition.