India v Jordan: More opportunities will be given to young players, says Dennerby

India to play Jordan on Friday; head coach Thomas Dennerby says more younger players will be given chances with a view to building a strong team for the future.

India head coach Thomas Dennerby is set to give match time to more players in the second international friendly against host Jordan here on Friday.

The Indian team beat Egypt 1-0 on Tuesday . It was the first international match for India since it was forced to withdraw from the group stage of the AFC Asian Cup in January due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the team.

“We are trying to build for the longer term. We need to start giving match time to the younger players. The focus is not so much on the results, though we do want to win,” head coach Thomas Dennerby said on Thursday.

“The main focus is on performance and giving opportunities to young players.”

‘Memorable night’

One youngster who shone for the Blue Tigresses - she was making her senior international debut - in the contest against Egypt was midfielder Priyangka Devi. “It was a memorable night for me against Egypt. It was my first match for the senior team, and I also managed to score the goal for my country, which makes it all the more special,” said Priyangka.

“I hope to continue in this form and do greater things for my nation,” she added.

Dennerby further highlighted the importance of using the FIFA windows to play international matches. “It’s a good way to start playing games again. A small three-nation tournament – there is no special reason behind it other than to build for the future. The aim should be to play games in every open FIFA window, and add some extra games before competitions. That is normally enough,” he said.

Jordan is placed 63rd in FIFA ranking, four spots below India.