Who can replace Brandon Fernandes as India's number 10 against Bangladesh?

Injury woes worsen for India with Brandon Fernandes sidelined.

India’s victory over the Maldives in the international friendly came with a major setback, as key midfielder Brandon Fernandes has been ruled out of the next match against Bangladesh due to an injury. The 30-year-old midfielder from Margao has played a vital role for the Blue Tigers over the years and is a key player for the Indian National Team. He was the most impactful player on the pitch as India ended their 489-day winless run. The Blue Tigers secured a dominant 3-0 victory over the Maldives.

Brandon picked up a knee injury in the 37th minute and was helped out of the field soon, with Farukh Choudhary replacing him. Brandon’s injury poses serious challenges for Marquez, with the team already without first-team regular Lallianzuala Chhangte, Manvir Singh, and Ashish Rai with injuries.

Speaking after the game, Manolo Marquez addressed the injury situation and said that he would have to bring a replacement for him. With Fernandes sidelined India will look for a suitable replacement ahead of their crucial clash against Bangladesh.

Naorem Mahesh Singh as a number 10?

Mahesh Singh also had a good game against Maldives and he was a constant threat to their backline throughout the game. He created many opportunities for himself and his teammates to score and surely Marquez can use him as a like-for-like replacement for Brandon. He is a versatile player who can play at various positions on the field, even though his performance for East Bengal this season has not been up to the mark and he has been quite inconsistent when playing in the middle of the pitch.

He is a player who helps out his team offensively and defensively as well and with his dribbling, he can beat players to create space for himself and his teammates. Once he gets going it is quite difficult to stop him. He likes to have a bit of freedom on the pitch and with his free-flowing movements he can attract defenders which will open the space to exploit.

Just like Brandon, he can also take set-pieces as well even though he is not as good as Brondon he can create some issues for the opponents for sure. In ISL he has played 20 games, 1280 minutes on the field and he has scored two goals and provided one assist. Even though he is a quality player his goal-scoring ability has been a bit shaky this season which will be a concern for Marquez for sure, but still, he is a player who can play as number 10.

Anirudh Thapa can be called up

Thapa was dropped from the National Team due to his poor performance at club level. He missed a lot of games this season due to injuries and didn’t get a lot of game time under Molina. But with his quality on the pitch, he is a player who can make a difference. He is a strong and athletic player who gives his best on the pitch.

He has played 15 matches this season, 757 minutes in which he provided two assists as well. Thapa is not a player who scores a lot of goals but in setpieces with his deliveries, he can create a lot of opportunities for his teammates to score. Thapa is an experienced player who has played many crucial games for the Blue Tigers and surely he can fill in the gap which Fernandes left.

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