Sunil Chhetri’s comeback confirmed, legend to feature in friendly against Maldives: ‘Developed players have to arrive’ | Football News

Sunil Chhetri will be seen in action in the upcoming friendly match against Maldives on Wednesday, March 19. Earlier this month, it was confirmed that the Indian legend is coming out of retirement to help the national team in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. On the eve of the friendly against Maldives, India head coach Manolo Marquez confirmed that Chhetri will feature in the contest.

Marquez said he is unsure whether the 40-year-old Chhetri will start the contest or come off the bench. However, he confirmed that fans will definitely see the former India captain in action for some minutes in the contest.

The India head coach also said that age is just a number, and Chhetri will continue to feature in the squad as long as he is fit. If Chhetri takes the field against Maldives, he will get his 152nd cap for the Indian team.

“For sure, Sunil will play some minutes. I don’t know whether as a starter or from the bench. We can use six substitutions, so 17 players can play, and I think Sunil will be one of them,” Marquez told reporters in the pre-match press conference.

“He is the Indian player with the most goals this season. It doesn’t matter if a player is 20, 40, or my grandfather at 87. If they are in better shape, they will be here. The national team is not about developing players. Developed players have to arrive here. The main team needs to win games. And if we need to win games, we need to call players who are in better shape,” he added.

‘Aim to win against Maldives’

Marquez also said that he aims to win the contest against Maldives. He also backed his players to come out on top, assuring that the national side wouldn’t repeat the mistakes of the past.

“It’s a friendly game to prepare for the Asian Cup qualifier. Obviously, we want to win. We knew that the target during the previous FIFA windows was to arrive in the best possible condition for the first competitive match against Bangladesh next Tuesday,” he said.

“I don’t think we will play with the same team against Bangladesh that will play tomorrow. Obviously, you can’t change all 11. Some will repeat on Tuesday. I’m confident in all my players. It has to be a good game and a good preparation for Bangladesh,” he added.