Manchester United trio set foot in India to launch grassroots football

Panaji: Football fans across the world these days are glued with the group stage matches of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
As the football’s greatest spectacle is ongoing in the middle east for the first time, not far away in India, Manchester United fans couldn’t believe their luck as they got glimpses of star goalkeeper David De Gea, Donny van de Beek and Anthony Elanga.
The Manchester United first team players set foot in Goa and the country for the first time. There were red scarfs, flags, shirts, and much fanfare as fans gathered in large numbers at the Don Bosco campus in Panaji, on Thursday.
The most successful English Premier League side launched the third edition of United We Play programme which is an on-ground grassroots football initiative. It encourages young football talent across the country by giving them a platform to showcase their skills with the objective of motivating aspiring footballers.
“It is a great initiative for the kids in India and the world just to give an opportunity to play football,” said De Gea.
The first two seasons received an overwhelming response with over 10,000 players from the country participating in the hybrid programme comprising on-ground trials and virtual sessions with Manchester United Soccer Schools’ coaches.
Elanga, who has come up from the junior ranks, is a perfect example of United’s philosophy. The 20-year old Swedish winger was permanently promoted from the academy to the first team by former interim manager Ralf Rangnick last season. The German was an admirer of the youngster from his first day in training and he handed him 14 Premier League starts.
“Coming through the academy was tough. My advice to youngsters is give performances in training and get rewards in the end. There is healthy pressure when there is competition because it makes you work harder,” said Elanga.
The last season saw four young footballers – Chennai’s RS Preyarhanjan, Meghalaya’s Federick Kurbah, Chandigarh’s Ronald Singh and Pune’s Kunal Yeole get a lifetime opportunity to visit Old Trafford to participate in exciting activities like a match-day experience, training session with Manchester United Soccer School coaches, and a chance to interact with club legends.
Manchester United are currently in the fifth position of the Premier League after a shaky start. New manager Erik ten Hag is settling well and building a team for the future.
“We just have to work hard on the way we want to play. We do well but I think we can do better all the time, work on it every time. If we work hard every day and train well, I think the result will come,” said Van de Beek.