Why the 2026-27 season can be make-or-break for Manvir Singh's career at Mohun Bagan SG?

Manvir scored twice for Mohun Bagan SG last season

Mohun Bagan SG are showcasing impressive ambitions in their quest for winning the 2026-27 Indian Super League (ISL) title after seeing East Bengal pip them to the championship last season. The Mariners ended up losing the 2025-26 ISL title because of inferior goal difference, something that really stung their fanbase to see their eternal rivals win the championship in that fashion.

As a way of fixing their attacking woes and ensure a situation like that doesn’t occur again, Mohun Bagan are working hard in strengthening their frontline options. They have already made some impressive signings, especially in their foreigner departments.

Last season’s ISL Golden Ball winner Miguel Figueira, Dejan Drazic and Samir Zeljkovic are among those who have been brought in to recharge the squad.

However, Mohun Bagan are also looking to strengthen their domestic core and have made a statement of intent with the signing of Lallianzuala Chhangte. They clearly want an Indian forward capable of regularly providing the goals, not being satisfied with their current options in place.

What Chhangte’s signing, although is going to do is impact Manvir Singh’s position within the club.

In the 2025-26 season, the Indian winger only scored two goals and provided one assist for Mohun Bagan in the ISL. He was only given seven starts, with Liston Colaco often being started on the right wing in his place instead. Neither of the two wingers was really able to stamp their authority on the right wing; both were unable to really impress the management.

However, Liston Colaco at least has the advantage of thriving on the left-wing and being able to torment defenders in that position. That same luxury isn’t held by Manvir, who has been established as a right-wing player for the Mariners and is unlikely to get many minutes up-front because of the presence of Jamie Maclaren there.

That is why the onus is on Manvir to prove his quality for Mohun Bagan in the 2026-27 season. With the pressure rising on him after the addition of Chhangte, it’s a sink-or-swing scenario and here we look at why the campaign could be make-or-break for him.

Lallianzuala Chhangte arrives as a direct competitor

The reason why Mohun Bagan have roped in Chhangte in their squad is because they clearly want more goals and assists to be coming from their wide areas in the attack. The ex-Mumbai City forward, who scored four goals in the 2025-26 ISL, is definitely reliable when it comes to delivering goal contributions in the final third on a more consistent basis.

That will also up the pressure on Manvir Singh to be able to hold his own in the mini-battle with Chhangte to get crucial goals for the Mariners. Manvir Singh will need to be way more consistent when it comes to finishing off chances clinically, proving that he doesn’t need like 10 chances to be able to score a goal for the Mariners.

Not just that, but Manvir also needs to be much more decisive and accurate with his passing to be able to set up chances better. He needs to work hard in training to nail those crosses from the right wing, as well as being clever in playing smart final third passes to help set up more chances through the right wing for the Mohun Bagan.

Unless Singh can prove that he can also deliver goal contributions on a regular basis, he’ll end up losing the battle for the right-wing spot with Chhangte. The pressure is definitely high on him to keep up with Chhangte, and only time will tell whether he can thrive under the added responsibility on him.

Making better use of his versatility

One good thing about Manvir is that he isn’t really a one-trick pony, being a player who can deliver from different positions as well. He can actually operate as a makeshift right-back if necessary as well as a wing-back, while the 30-year-old forward is naturally a centre-forward before transitioning to a winger’s role at Mohun Bagan.

However, it’ll only be proven in the 2026-27 season whether Manvir can actually be useful in a variety of different positions for Panagiotis Dilmperis’ side or not. He needs to be ready to operate in a variety of different roles for the Mariners, be it as a wing-back or even as a centre-forward – and needs to treat matches in those positions seriously to really thrive in it.

If played as a defensive player, the onus will be on Manvir to make use of his physical prowess to win duels and neutralize the opposition winger’s threat. If he’s operating as a centre-forward, he needs to be excellent with his movement as well as link-up play to help his side move forward quickly and finish off chances that come his way clinically to ease some pressure on Maclaren & co.

There is no point in Manvir boasting about his versatility or adaptability if he ends up failing to impress in different positions. He actually needs to maintain consistency with his performances, irrespective of wherever he plays, in order to gain the fans’ and coach’s trust and excel for the Mariners this season.

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Bigger impact as a substitute

The reality of the situation for Manvir Singh in the 2026-27 season for Mohun Bagan will be that he’s unlikely to regularly start matches for the Mariners. Especially after Chhangte’s arrival, the 30-year-old has to be content with starting matches from the bench and Dilmperis might look to use his qualities as an impact substitute to change matches after the 60-minute mark or so.

Hence, rather than being demotivated by it, Singh has to relish the challenge in front of him to prove himself as a vital substitute option for the Mariners.

He can actually thrive playing against exhausted defenders whom he can sprint past with ease, but the 30-year-old has to start making a difference in the danger zones when operating as a substitute.

Singh has to take the onus of finishing off chances or leading counter-attacks after coming on as a substitute, knowing that those around him might not have the same level of sharpness after playing large parts of the game.

If he can take charge as a substitute in scoring goals or creating chances consistently, Manvir can become an important asset for Panagiotis and preserve his future at Mohun Bagan for at least a few more years.

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