Kerala Blasters FC’s new defensive signing has heaped praise on head coach Ivan Vukomanovic and his style of leadership which he feels is instrumental in developing a strong bond among the players.

Mongil, a Hero ISL winner with ATK FC in 2019-20, joined Kerala Blasters FC ahead of the new season from Odisha FC as he looks to add a second Hero ISL title to his name with the Blasters.

“It would be wonderful to be able to win my second title in ISL, but if on top of that we can add that it is with Kerala Blasters, with the number of fans that the club has, and being able to make history with the club, it is all the incentive that any player needs to really be here,” Mongil told Sportskeeda.com in an interview.

The 30-year-old defender who has started pre-season training with his teammates has been impressed by head coach Vukomanovic.

“I think that with his style and way of leading the team, he has made everyone totally believe in him and have that faith in him. The most important thing for a coach or technical staff is to make a team believe in the methodology, work and style. of the coach and he has achieved it,” he said.

“He is a coach who was a footballer who understands the player in every aspect that happens and that is also important. I'm glad you want me to be here to help achieve goals,” added Mongil.

Having seen Kerala Blasters FC from an opponent camp last season, Mongil believes the team’s greatest strength lies in the quality of the Indian players who he believes can further improve in coming years.

“One of the key successes of the previous season was that the Indian players from Kerala also showed that much more talent can still be squeezed out here, and that we can all be an important part of achieving this goal since in the long term it would be a great success for club and country,” the Spaniard said.

Set to play his third season in the Hero ISL, Mongil feels the league has become better every year and its current growth path is going to benefit Indian football in the long run as more and more players emerge every season.

“Football is already growing a lot in the country, and the local players are acquiring better discipline and experience, which gives the good results that the national team has and I only hope and hope that it continues in this ascending line of growth and that there are very successful generations in the country for this to happen,” he said.

Mongil who has plenty of experience having spent seven years in the Spanish third tier is willing to help the Indian youngsters around him as they aim to become better players.

The Spaniard's experience of winning the Hero ISL before will be key for Kerala Blasters FC as they look to finally claim the crown after three heartbreaks in the final.