Bengaluru, October 16: India Under-17 World Cup team's defender Sanjeev Stalin says he currently has no interest in signing for an Indian Super League (ISL) club and believes he still has a long way to go in his career.

A media report suggested that a few members of the U-17 squad are eyeing a move to the cash-rich ISL instead of playing in the All India Football Federation's development team in the I-League.

The report cited goalkeeper Dheeraj Singh, captain Amarjit Singh and lone goal-scorer Jeakson Singh as among those bidding time to decide on their future.

However, Sanjeev, who provided the assist for Jeakson's goal in the group game against Colombia, said he has faith in the AIFF's plans.

"Right now, I'm not interested in joining the ISL," Sanjeev, who was in the city for two days, said on Monday (October 16). "I just want to gain more experience. I'm still young and have a lot to prove. There's still a long way to go for me. The World Cup isn't the end. It's just the beginning of my career."

According to a report, AIFF has offered a salary of Rs 50,000 a month for the U-17 players, while those recruited by an ISL club will earn almost three times more. Sanjeev, however, added that he is not in it for the money.

"The U-17 World Cup was a huge tournament for sure, but I've to look to the future and take bigger steps," Sanjeev said. "I've a good relationship with the AIFF. They've supported us a lot."

Just days after their disappointing exit from the FIFA U-17 World Cup, 12 of the 21-member squad will depart for Qatar to play a practice game. The players will then feature in the qualifying round of the AFC U-19 Championship in Saudi Arabia, where they will take on the hosts, Yemen and Turkmenistan.

Sanjeev though said he is only looking at the positives from their group campaign, which included a spirited performance against Colombia.

"As a player, it was a sad moment for me," Sanjeev said about the 1-2 defeat. "But as a football fan, I was really proud of all the players. How we worked and how we didn't give up (tells you a lot about this group). It showed in the support (from the fans). They (the fans) were really fantastic. We made those fans believe that we can also play football.

"Our coach Luis Norton de Matos is obviously the one responsible for this. He's the brain behind the team. He's a very good person on and off the field. We learnt a lot from him. Even the assistant Hugo Martins was fantastic."