In a landmark move, midfielder Lalengmawia Ralte has traveled to Belgium for a two-week training stint with our sister club Lommel SK, his club Mumbai City FC confirmed on Saturday.

The 21-year-old will train with the Belgian side where he will be able to gain important footballing experience with the help of the coaches and staff at Lommel SK in an immersive training environment.

“Through our association with City Football Group, we knew it would open a pathway for players and coaches to have access to the Group’s collective resources and it brings me great pleasure to be able to see Apuia get the benefits of the technical expertise and know-how of our friends at Lommel SK,” Kandarp Chandra, CEO, Mumbai City FC said.

“This is an indication that talent at Mumbai City FC will be furthered and nurtured within the Group and this can potentially open doors for others to gain a similar experience too. I want to thank our colleagues at Lommel and CFG for facilitating this training stint and we wish Apuia the very best for his time in Belgium,” he added.

Ralte has emerged as one of the most promising midfielders in India after impressing in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) first with NorthEast United FC and then with the Islanders and has racked up 52 appearances in the top-tier at the age of 21.

The Mizoram midfielder has also made ten appearances for the Indian national team and is seen as a big part of Indian national team head coach Igor Stimac’s plans.

As Mumbai City FC hope to get back to challenging for top honours in the upcoming campaign, Ralte will have a big part to play.