Image Courtesy: Svay Rieng FC

Since their inception in 2019, Hyderabad FC have gone the extra mile and reached the highest point in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) – lift the Hero ISL title. The arrival of head coach Manolo Marquez massively shapeshifted the trajectory of the club that not just won silverware but also played some of the most attractive brand of football in the nation.

With Marquez switching ship to FC Goa, the former Hero ISL champions have placed their faith in Irishman Conor Nestor to inherit the legacy left behind by the Spaniard. Nestor — who most recently won the Cambodian Championship with his former club Svay Rieng — will make a second stint in his coaching career at Hyderabad FC.

“India and Hyderabad are a welcoming place and it makes me look forward to the work ahead even more,” expressed Nestor in an official interaction with Hyderabad FC.

The Deccan-based side have reaped success with Marquez, who too, made his first foray in Indian football alongside them. The side will be looking to aim for an even higher ceiling with Nestor at the helm.

“If you look at my career so far, I’ve been somebody who's stayed in places for a long time. (I) worked for the FA in Ireland for almost a decade, I was in Cambodia for five and a half years, so I’m somebody that prefers to stay in places and build something,” the head coach stated.

Having created and broken more than a dozen records at Hyderabad FC, building on the cornerstone erected by Marquez will be a daunting task for Nestor. However, the head coach is confident of making significant strides and stated that the environment at the club is well equipped to reach new highs.

“Why Hyderabad FC? Basically because I see it as somewhere where I can build something that is long-term and sustainable. The club has a short history but there’s a very bright future and I want to play a part in that,” he said.

“If you want to produce players – top-level players then it’s about the infrastructure you provide around them. I think coaches and staff in general are part of that,” he added.

With Hyderabad FC more focused and channelled towards youth development in the recent few years, Nestor will seamlessly make his philosophies fit into not just the first team but the entire management at the club.

“I think the club, from top to bottom, from what I have seen, the work facilities, the staff that surrounds the team, they have everything that you need to have here. So, it’s just the question of getting the right players and going forward with the right values at the club,” he concluded.

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