NorthEast United FC lock horns with ATK at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2017-18 on Friday. After snapping a four-match losing run in their last game and following the appointment of new technical director Avram Grant, the Highlanders notched up a crucial 2-1 win against FC Goa at home. Youngster Abdul Hakku, who has been one of the revelations of the season, spoke to indiansuperleague.com before the game against ATK and underlined the importance of the new managerial set-up. Here are the excerpts from the interview.

You won the Emerging Player award in your very first match and this is your first season in the ISL, how has the journey been?

The best thing is that I’m getting to play with all the senior players. They motivate me a lot. I’m very happy that I got to play the first match and won the Emerging Player award. It’s because of all the motivation.

Why did you choose football over other sports?

I come from Malappuram in Kerala. Malappuram is known for football. That’s how I chose football and now it is my passion.

Any difficulties in getting along with your teammates?

Everyone is united in our team. We all motivate each other and I like this team a lot.

If you have a doubt or confusion, who do you turn to?

There are many. Nirmal (Chettri) Bhai, (TP) Rehenesh, all of them motivate me. How to play? How to improve? They help me with all of that.

NorthEast have seven points after eight games. What do you have to say about that?

We won after four consecutive losses. We have a lot of energy as the coach has also changed. We play to win the next game.

Your next game is against ATK – what are your personal thoughts and how are you preparing for the game?
We have learnt their game so that we can play well against them. Let’s see what happens on Friday.

Who is your favourite player and why?

I have lots of favourites but the one I like most would be Sergio Ramos. I play stopper and he’s also a very good stopper. He’s the best defender in the world.