Aitor Monroy: Narender Gahlot will be a very good centre-back in future

The Spanish midfielder spoke at length about Indian football, young players, Spanish influence and more.

Injuries, refereeing faux pas and an extremely light squad in hours of need, have left Jamshedpur FC vulnerable and lying in the bottom half of the league table this season. However, despite all the difficulties, Aitor Monroy remains a consistently vital figure in the heart of the midfield for the Men of Steel. The Spaniard, who is in his first-ever stint in Indian football, has a steely look that encapsulates his character. However, once he gets in the groove of the questions and delves deeper into the conversation, he provides incredible insights into a vast variety of topics. [KH_ADWORDS type="3" align="center"][/KH_ADWORDS] Quizzed about his first thoughts on his experience so far in the league and the country, Aitor Monroy answered, “I think it is a really good experience for me. I'm very happy here with the club, with the supporters, with the players, with the entire environment. I am looking forward all the time and feel very good here. I'd want to continue here in India this way.” Despite all the major injuries that Antonio Iriondo has had to deal with in this campaign, how did the young players along with the others manage to uplift their spirits. Monroy had an interesting take on it, as he remarked, “For me, I always try to give my 100% during the game. I train hard and I always try to be ready for the game. It is very important, for each game, because you never know which is the last game in your life.” From thereon, the focus shifted for a while to the midfielder’s home country, Spain. He commenced his career from the youth ranks of Atletico Madrid, who now have a strategic partnership with Jamshedpur. Shedding some light on how the Los Rajiblancos could aid the Tata Steel-owned club, Aitor Monroy said, “I think they can help in so many areas; with the publicity, the environment, the players, some staff of the club, a lot of things.” [KH_ADWORDS type="4" align="center"][/KH_ADWORDS] Antonio Iriondo’s Jamshedpur, Sergio Lobera’s Goa (previously), Josep Gombau’s Odisha, Antonio Habas’ ATK are some of the examples of Indian clubs coming under the influence of the Spanish brand of football and implementing it to a certain extent too. The 32-year-old midfielder had a say on this. “I think they need time. You see a club like Goa, Bengaluru, they have a Spanish coach for so much time and they are playing well at this moment. Because they have time, 2-3 years, players like Brandon (Fernandes), Seriton (Fernandes), also players from Kolkata, they are growing a little bit with minutes from so many years." "We can improve, I think Jamshedpur have good young players. We need to motivate them, help them because they are young players and they need to take experience with minutes. It’s difficult for them, as it is the first season because many players are young; like Narender (Gahlot), Jitu (Jitendra Singh), Amarjit (Singh Kiyam), Aniket (Jadhav). They are young players and they have quality and we try to help them. I think with time, it will be better for them.”

Aitor Monroy's World Football Five-A-Side Team

Whilst Aitor Monroy was raving about the Indian youngsters, he is not adverse to the idea of lads from a very nascent age taking up the sport as their career in his own homeland. He has quite an incisive point to make regarding what makes the Spanish youth development program of football stand apart from their peers. “In Spain, we play football from three years. It’s the first sport in the country. I know in India it is not the first sport, so far. It’s difficult because so many players begin playing football from when they are 10-11 or 12-13 years and many don’t have the coach or the environment to improve their apprentice to be in the same way and the same level as the Spanish. We have a lot of schools for small kids from so many years, which is very important.” [KH_ADWORDS type="2" align="center"][/KH_ADWORDS] One aspect that has helped Aitor Monroy settle in to the new league is the presence of a notable number of Spaniards in Jamshedpur’s roster. The midfielder mentioned, “Yes, it helps. When you have bad days, you come back and you have a person who could understand you. All the people around us, whether they are Indians, Spanish or English, all the time they help us. The Indians help me a lot and this is very important when you are out of your country.” Ahead of their match against Mumbai earlier this month, Antonio Iriondo had boasted about how his team has provided a significant number of playing minutes to the young Indian players. Did Monroy abide by that thought and which of those starlets have caught his attention the most? He remarked, “I think they are different kind of players. We have very good players in different positions. I think Narender will be a very good centre-back, though he also can be used on the left and the right. He has very good physique, he is very smart and I think with time he will be a very good centre-back. Also, Amarjit is a good player in the middle. I like him, I like him as a player. I think he is a little bit not fit because he got injuries before, it will take some time to be fit 100% again. I think he is a good player." “Also, we have Jitu, who can play in the middle, on the right. Also, Aniket; very good speed, very good quality. I think we have very good players and we have to give them confidence.” [KH_RELATED_NEWS title="Related News | Article Continues Below"][/KH_RELATED_NEWS] There was a lot of positive talk emanating from the former Atletico Madrid B player. To broaden the course of the conversation, we asked him about aspects where the ISL could improve. With a sigh, Aitor Monroy asserted, “We also as players and coaches, need to help the referees. Sometimes, they are making a lot of mistakes. I know they don’t want to, but they need more help from the coaches and the players to give their best.”