Exposure helps: Yorke

Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri on Tuesday said that the country should focus on establishing itself as an Asian power rather than seeking a World Cup qualification in the near future.

Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri on Tuesday said that the country should focus on establishing itself as an Asian power rather than seeking a World Cup qualification in the near future. Chhetri,who was here to launch a countrywide talent hunt programme,said that Indias first step should be to achieve something major in Asia. World Cup is a distant thing. Right now our focus should be on doing something good in Asia. If we set high goals at the moment we are going to get frustrated. So we should first look to do something in our continent. As they say you should take small steps and not rush to the goal, Chhetri said.

Chhetri alongside former Manchester United player Dwight Yorke was speaking at the sidelines of a conference which seeks to send 12 talented footballers to a training camp at Old Trafford,the home of Manchester United,in England.

Chhetri said the initiative will help groom the young footballers in the country. The first day when I stepped out to play in Europe (during trials at Celtic in Scotland) I had no clue what was happening. The kind of tackles and the kind of pace at which they play I was really clueless. These kids will get a chance to feel what exactly it takes to play at the top level, he said.

Yorke,a former Trinidad and Tobago World Cupper and current assistant coach of the Manchester Uniteds reserve side,said it would be a lifetime experience for the young players. When I started as a 16-year-old kid the conditions were pretty much the same in my country,the facilities were horrendous. Opportunity came my way through Aston Villa and I seized that opportunity. If I made it to the top level there is no reason why an Indian footballer could not make it to the highest level. It is just the matter of getting an opportunity and making the right initiative, he said.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram