Indian Super League (ISL) club Chennaiyin FC player Lallianzuala Chhangte is back in India after trying his luck in Europe with Norwegian club Viking FC. The midfielder is now solely focused on guiding his club back to the top of ISL.
With a number of teams chasing his signature, Chhangte finally joined Chennaiyin in August this year.
"I felt the move would be the best for me. They showed much more interest than other clubs, they made me feel cherished. The coach even called and told me about his future plans," said the former Delhi Dynamos star.
"It was a great experience for me in Norway with Viking FC. Currently my focus is with Chennaiyin FC and to help them win back the Indian Super League title. As a player, I still aspire to play in Europe one day, but right now I just want to focus on training hard and performing for club and country."
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Chennaiyin FC had finished a disappointing 10th with just two wins from 18 games in ISL 2018-19 after having started the season as defending champion.
"They didn’t do well last year, but that is already in the past. We have new additions and the condition of the squad is nice. Most importantly, we have a coach who has already won the title and is pushing to bring the club back to the top, where the club deserves to be," added Chhangte on his side's chances this year.
The 22-year-old had scored in his India debut in 2015. He has racked up three more goals in nine appearances for his country since then. During that period, Chhangte never feared the possibility of fading away.
"It was a great experience for me to score on debut and then win the SAFF Championship in 2015. Since then, there have been ups and down, and over the years I have learned to remain positive and keep working hard."
Chhangte lauded the current India national football team head coach Igor Stimac and said he was bringing out the best from the entire bunch of senior side players.
"He (Stimac) is a great coach and understands players very well. He is making a lot of competition between the players so that everyone focuses and no one gets a place for free. If you do great on the training ground, no matter how old or young you are, you will play. He is bringing the best out of all of us," said the Mizoram-based player.
"It was a fantastic result for the team against Qatar and it brought great joy for the country. I am a team player and so the priority is getting the results no matter who plays. The Qatar result and performance has been a big lift for everyone, but we are focused now on performing well and winning against Bangladesh," concluded Chhangte.
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