Ahead of the 2020-21 Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) season, NorthEast United FC have roped in a number of new players as they begin life under a young and exciting Spanish head coach, Gerard Nus. And 23-year-old defender Rakesh Pradhan is looking forward to playing under Nus, whom he considers fully-equipped to deal with the challenges ahead.

“There is new energy and a positive attitude around the team. Head coach Nus is someone I have enjoyed working with from day one. He has the right vision for the team and …the gaffer is building a healthy atmosphere within the team and I am hopeful that people will start seeing the results too, once the season begins,” thenewsmill.com quoted the defender as saying.

In order to shore up the defence, Nus has signed a number of experienced foreigners like Benjamin Lambot and Dylan Fox as well as a number of Indian personnel who have prior experience of playing in the Hero ISL, such as Ashutosh Mehta and Gurjinder Kumar.

Rakesh is confident that his team’s new defensive additions will do well and also expects them to bring healthy competition to the outfit. “We have quite a few new faces in the team, and they are bringing a lot of experience with them, which will help us in the long run. It will also bring healthy competition …I believe we will be much stronger defensively and I am really looking forward to rubbing shoulders with them for the team,” he said.

With the 2020-21 Hero ISL season only two weeks away, the defender has set lofty ambitions for himself and his team. “In the coming years I want to take my game to the next level and, it is my dream to represent the country and win trophies with the current team,” Rakesh said.  

NorthEast United FC finished 9^th in the league last season with just two wins in 18 games. This time they kick off their campaign against Mumbai City FC on November 21 at the Tilak Maidan Stadium in Vasco.