Bhubaneswar: Training at the Doha-based Aspire Academy has boosted the confidence of four young footballers of Odisha FC — Deven Sawhney, Ruben Letkhotinchon, CVL Remtluanga and S Lalhrezuala — and they now aspire to play for the senior team.
The quartet is from the youth (Under-18) team of Delhi Dynamos (now Odisha FC) which won the Elite League in Delhi Zone for the 2018-19 season.
Manipur teenager Reuben lost his father at a young age and his brother is the only earning member of the family which is not so well-to-do.
Reuben’s mother has also some serious illness but the striker chose to take up football professionally and this decision has gone well for him. “We train at Aspire which is a world-class academy. It’s a whole new level when it comes to facilities. In short, I have become a better player. I have become more responsible and more technical in my approach towards the game,” Reuben, who joined Odisha FC in January 2018, said.
A defender from Delhi, Deven, who joined the club in February 2018, said he now aims to make the club and the country proud in the future.
“It has been an amazing experience, the training facilities are world-class and the coaches are very professional, knowledgeable and cooperative. I hope to make the club and country proud,” Deven said.
CVL Remtluanga and S Lalhrezuala have also expressed their happiness on getting a chance to train in Doha. “The intensity of the game and training there is very high. Major areas like my speed, crossing etc have improved after I train here. I have learnt a lot from here which will be useful for my future,” Remtluanga said.
Lalhrezuala said the training has boosted his confidence and he’s now fitter than before. “This opportunity also encouraged me to do well. Besides this, it also helped me to know myself and other’s viewpoints. It has also helped me in remembering to keep working hard to achieve success in life.”
Odisha FC has been associated with the Qatar based world-famous football academy since 2017-18.
Defender Shubham Sarangi was one of the first to get trained at the Aspire Academy and he is now a regular starter in the club’s senior team.
PNN
