Jestin George set to join Real Kashmir on loan from NorthEast United

The 24-year-old played five ISL matches for the Highlanders last season.

I-League outfit Real Kashmir FC are set to complete the signing of 24-year-old Kerala-born defender, Jestin George on loan from NorthEast United FC, Khel Now can confirm.

"The defender is all set to join Real Kashmir FC on a season-long loan deal," a source close to the development has informed Khel Now.

About the Player

At the earliest stages of his professional football career, Jestin George faced a lot of difficulties. Coming from Kottayam, he had a tough childhood with monetary issues slowing down his development. The few on-field failures that he faced during this time did not help his cause either.

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After completing his formal education in 2015, Jestin attended trials at Bengaluru FC and a good recommendation from Bino George helped him get selected for their U-18 team. However, after playing with them for two years, he had to return home as they decided not to retain him any longer.

At about the same time, Gokulam Kerala appointed Bino George as their head coach. He signed Jestin to their reserves team immediately, yet, his lack of experience had him waiting for a call-up into the senior side.

Jestin, who is a centre-back by trade, joined Gokulam Kerala in 2017. He was initially a part of the club’s B team, but went on to make a few appearances for the first team in the 2018-19 I-League and the 2019 Durand Cup, which they won. In the following season, he had a more prominent role in the first team as was named in the starting XI seven times in the 2019-20 I-League.

In the previous season, Jestin George made his move to the Indian Super League side NorthEast United FC. He made five appearances for the highlanders and played a total of 215 minutes last seaso. He is now set to join Real Kashmir FC on a loan deal.

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Real Kashmir FC’s pre-season preparations

Real Kashmir survived relegation by two points last season. The Snow Leopards finished with 14 points from a total of 17 matches and managed to pip the now-relegated Kenkre FC. The club has recently signed midfielder Girik Khosla from Sreenidi Deccan.

Former NorthEast United goalkeeper Sanjiban Ghosh is another major arrival at the club. The club recently acquired the service of Davinder Singh, who previously played for Chennaiyin FC and Mohammed Inam from Delhi FC.

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