Mumbai City FC confirmed the signing of Jackichand Singh for Season 3 of the Hero Indian Super League on Tuesday. The 24-year-old winger from Manipur represented FC Pune City last year and scored the third fastest goal of the season when he netted the solitary strike in a match against Atlético de Kolkata with just 75 seconds on the clock.Speaking exclusively to indiansuperleague.com ahead of Hero ISL’s new season, Jackichand revealed how the recent influx of top Indian talent to Mumbai City FC got him to sign on the dotted line. “A lot of Indians have joined Mumbai City FC this season like Boithang Haokip and Aiborlang Khongjee, and playing alongside them would benefit my play. This was my reason behind joining the team,” said Jackichand.The diminutive winger, who has been in fine form for the national side of late having provided three assists in India’s 6-1 drubbing of Laos earlier this month, also commented on how question marks regarding his inclusion in the Indian squad spurred him on to prove the naysayers wrong. “A lot of people doubted my form before the Laos match. Therefore, I had a point to prove and went into the match with a different mindset. As a result, everything that I had thought of worked out perfectly in the match,” Jackichand said.Reflecting on his performances in the Hero ISL with FC Pune City from last season, the pacey winger believes there is plenty of scope for improvement after a stop-start season last time due to injuries. “I suffered a long-term injury last season, due to which I couldn’t perform well. I am looking to turn it up a notch this time around for Mumbai City FC and perform well throughout the season,” said Jackichand.Looking ahead to the third season of the Hero ISL, an assertive Jackichand said: “What’s important for me is that Mumbai City FC need to be Hero ISL champions this time! The team has a good Indian contingent, which can do wonders.”Jackichand also called upon Mumbai City FC fans to turn up in large numbers and support their team. “We would need ardent fan support to be successful this season, and I would try to give my best on the field to make that happen,” he concluded.
