Dheeraj Singh to play for Indian Arrows

Bengaluru, November 25: Highly-regarded India U17 World Cup star goalkeeper Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem has confirmed that he will represent the Indian Arrows in the upcoming I-League 2017/18.

All India Football Federation (AIFF) had decided to field a combined XI comprising of India U17 and India U19 players in the upcoming I-League to allow them regular playing time at the top level. The team will be known as 'Indian Arrows', the resurrected version of the now defunct 'Pailan Arrows'.

Dheeraj Singh was the star of the show for India in the FIFA Under-17 World Cup thanks to his heroics under the bar. The boy from Mizoram was being courted by a host of ISL and I-League sides which is why he took his time to take a decision.

Finally, he has made his call and that is to play alongside his Indian youth teammates for the Indian Arrows.

This will be a good piece of news for Indian football as the future stars of the nation will be able to play alongside each other and grow together which will help both as a unit and also individually.

At the same time, we must applaud the youngster for his decision as he could have easily opted for a more lucrative contract from any of the ISL or I-League sides.

The young keeper has also been linked to moves to Europe and Australia. With the AIFF not announcing the squad till now, Dheeraj's announcement on Instagram is sure to attract the eye-balls of the Indian Football Fans.

Indian Arrows will be keenly kept an eye on by scouts of several I-League and Indian Super League clubs to snap up a few brilliant youngsters, making it the most exciting team to watch out for.

Reports have also suggested that Indian Arrows coach Luis Norton De Matos has decided to drop Striker Komal Thatal from the squad which has invited anger from Indian football fans on social media.