Why Manvir Singh deserves prominent role in ATK Mohun Bagan’s attack?

The 26-year-old has predominantly been used as a right-winger by the Mariners.

ATK Mohun Bagan are undergoing prominent changes in their squad right now. Juan Ferrando has issued a real face-lift in specific positions, particularly in his forward line. Roy Krishna and David Williams have both left, with the Mariners poised to sign new forwards.

Ferrando wants forwards who can be a right fit for his possession-based, passing style which he didn’t feel the released players could. While the foreigner-quota situation unravels, the Mariners have to trust their domestic players.

One player that deserves a major position at the club is Manvir Singh. Coming off a solid AFC Asian Cup qualifiers campaign with India, the 26-year-old is high on confidence. Manvir finished the qualifiers with a goal and assist in the 4-0 win over Hong Kong, ending his campaign on a high note. Here we look at why he deserves a prominent role in the Mariners’ attacking line.

Versatility

A major positive of Manvir Singh is he is quite versatile and adaptable to different systems. He proved that last season under Ferrando at ATK Mohun Bagan, being an energetic figure in his frontline. He was the Mariners’ fourth-highest scorer last season with eight goals in all competitions, including two in the AFC Cup qualifiers. Singh has predominantly featured in the right-wing position for ATK Mohun Bagan, but Ferrando can also use him as a centre-forward.

In fact, Singh did play a central role during the AFC Cup group stages games, even assisting a goal for Joni Kauko against Maziya S&RC. Singh is well capable of thriving as a bullish centre-forward or an energetic winger. His awareness of how to settle into Ferrando’s system is exactly why the 26-year-old should remain a major part of his team next season.

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Work Ethic

India national team manager Igor Stimac described Manvir as one of the ‘undroppable players’ in his current squad. He even boldly claimed that irrespective of how poor his form was at the club level, Singh would have a place in Stimac’s squad. The main reason why, the Croatian revealed, was because of Manvir’s work ethic.

He praised the 26-year-old’s ability to run himself ragged in games, press opponents really well, and chase some of the loose balls others won’t. Manvir, to his credit, is one of the most hard-working Indian players around these days. Hard work is a quality that even Ferrando would treasure. Singh might not come up with something fancy or score goals every game.

But ATKMB can be assured he’d cover every blade of the grass for them. Manvir’s strong character urges him to keep pushing forward and out-work his opponent defender even when things aren’t going his way. The Mariners need a player with an amazing work ethic like Manvir in their squad.

The 26-year-old can press opponents sharply, move the ball around quickly and cover a lot of space in the attacking areas. He can do everything that Ferrando and keep trying hard in the face of adversity.

Experience

At the age of 26, Manvir is a youngster no more. He is now one of the senior players of the Indian national team and also for ATK Mohun Bagan. The 26-year-old has been playing at the top level of Indian football for over five years now. He’s become a national team regular for a reason. Singh’s experience is a major asset for him right now.

He has been playing in the Indian Super League (ISL) for over five seasons now. He’s been a regular for the majority of them too. The 26-year-old has made over 30 appearances for India, playing in a number of high-pressure games.

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He’s played against teams like Qatar, in the Asian Cup qualifiers as well as competitions like the SAFF Championship. At the club level, Manvir has won the Super Cup and ISL titles in his career. He knows what it takes to thrive against the most intimidating opponents and fight back against challenges.

Manvir’s experience has helped him transform into a more composed, clever forward. He now knows how to time the ideal final delivery to create or score chances. Singh’s hard-working nature and experience factor are why he should remain strongly in ATKMB’s plans for next season.

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