Akash has proved his prowess at such an early age- Des Buckingham

Des Buckingham expresses his thoughts and views for the upcoming tournaments after significant changes in the squad.

Mumbai City FC were in phenomenal form in the Durand Cup last year and finished their campaign as the runners-up of the 131st edition of the prestigious and oldest footballing tournament in Asia.

Prior to the start of the Durand Cup 2023, head coach Des Buckingham sat down in a chat with the media.

Here are the excerpts from the conversation.

The idea behind the inclusion of Akash Mishra

The signing of Akash Mishra from Hyderabad FC is one of the hottest deals of this transfer window. The tactician is very much confident of Akash’s potential. He highlighted, “We allow the players to contribute what they want to do as a collective and develop the strong points that we find in the young talents. There are different reasons to sign Akash as he has the ability to do tactful defending and possesses strong tackling skills in all positions. To back-to-back thunderous performances with the Nizams in a couple of seasons, getting the National Team call-up, and earning the 2022-23 AIFF Men’s Emerging Player of the Year, Akash has proved his prowess at such an early age. “

Focusing on the talents, not the nationality

Buckingham stated in this regard, “For me it doesn’t matter whether the player is Indian or foreigner, I trust my boys, my front line which puts lots of efforts every week and in every training session and while in charge of the field. I am sure what they can showcase and contribute for the team’s success collectively.”

On the key overseas player departures

The Islander’s boss is determined and thinks that they’re in a better position and that’s because of the terms that they’ve spent together in the preparation camps in Thailand.

“If we look at our team, Jorge Pereyra Diaz extended his stay, Inclusion of Akash Mishra at left-back, Rahul, Rostyn and Mehtab at the defence. We still have Greg Stewart, Apuia and Vinit, who penned down a permanent contract with us. We also have bright young talents who are putting in lot of hard work since the last two and a half weeks. And yes, Jahouh and Fall were wonderful footballers for this club and we’ll miss them.”

Bringing up more young talents

Des Buckingham not only builds team chemistry but also focuses on young talents and gives them the opportunity to showcase their skills. He shared his motto, “My intention is to give more opportunity to the bright young Indian footballers who have the consistent noticeable performances. There will be a different developmental strategy to make all of them contribute to the team’s collective success.”

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.