Two-time Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) champion Henrique Sereno believes that his former teammate at Chennaiyin FC Anirudh Thapa has what it takes to play in Europe. Sereno, who won the Hero ISL title with ATK FC in 2016 and Chennaiyin in the 2017-18 campaign, was full of praise for the young Indian midfielder during a Live Instagram chat with the two-time Hero ISL champions’ fan group Super Machans.

"We had many good young players like Anirudh Thapa. He can play in Europe. He is a very good number 10 and has very nice skills. We also had Jeje (Lalpekhlua) who is a great striker,” Sereno said during the interaction.

Besides praising the 22-year-old midfielder who has become integral at the center of the park for his club and country, Sereno lauded the contribution of those players who didn’t get much game time but played their role in Chennaiyin’s success, nonetheless.

"We had so many players. Even the players who didn't play a lot like Keenan (Almeida), (Fulganco) Cardozo, they had amazing skills, but they didn't get many chances. But they were good in the training. That was the key to success," the Portuguese defender said.

The 35-year-old also labelled Indian midfielder Dhanpal Ganesh as the strongest player in the team. "The strongest Indian player in the club was my captain Dhanpal Ganesh. He is very strong. Usually, Indian players are not too big. Dhanpal used to win every single ball in the midfield. He used to communicate well with the defenders," Sereno said.

When asked who he thought was the best player during his time with Chennaiyin, Sereno added, "Raphael Augusto for me was the best Chennaiyin player. He was very skillful... For me, he was the best I had played (with) at Chennaiyin FC."