Dheeraj has to be careful about move to Scotland: Goalkeeper Sandhu

Having spent the bulk of his career in Europe Indian footballs No1 goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu feels his potential successor Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem set for trials at Scottish Premiership side Motherwell FC should be careful of what he is signing up for I am delighted This is the right time for him to move out He is 18 and I wish I had an opportunity like this when I was his age But its something that he has to be very careful about Sandhu told IANS in an interviewIts good that he wants to challenge himself Its more mental than physical I hope he is making the right choice about which place to go Because if he goes to a place which doesnt see him as a player for the future its a big problem the 25year old said Currently plying his trade for Indian Super League ISL club Bengaluru FC here the tall custodian turned out for Norwegian club Stabaek FC 11 times in three seasons keeping six clean sheetsDheeraj who impressed for India at the FIFA U17 World Cup played a few games for Indian Arrows in the ILeague before deciding to follow Sandhus steps and move abroad The Manipur lad is still in India with ISL side Kerala Blasters as his agent is sorting out visa issues which in the United Kingdom can be a cumbersome process The UK has strict rules for footballers to qualify for a work permitIt will take another three weeks approximately the agent told IANS when quizzed I hope he is not used as a player bait to enter the Indian market like some European clubs are attempting This is the right time for him to move out Sandhu said Sandhu during his stint with the Oslobased outfit scripted history by first becoming the only Indian to play in the first team of a top division European side both in the League and Cup and then featuring in a Europa Leagues first qualifying round gameAsked how it has been since coming back to India Sandhu said he found it difficult to push himself initially but it was the people around him that made his transition easier I found it very difficult to push myself when I joined When you come from a higher level its not the same There is a difference in quality and environment The biggest difference for me was the weather In Norway I had been training in minus temperatures To be honest the quality of pitches also makes a big difference It took some time for me to adjust but here people made me feel like home It wasnt a difficult transition Sandhu saidComing back to India was not in his mind at the start of 2017 Sandhu said adding he wanted to stay on his own terms after grinding it out for so long and that was not happening Sandhu was not happy at the number of games he was playing and it was the first team action that pushed him home also Coming back to India was not something I was thinking at the beginning of last year But circumstances change very quickly My first option was to stay in Europe I tried to achieve that but I had decided that if I stay I stay on my own terms and that was not happeningComing back to India was the option and I always wanted to be at the best club in India Bengaluru have put Indian football on the map he said Sandhu has so far made eight saves in seven ISL games he has played Does he feel the pressure of expectation I dont want to tie myself down to expectations Sandhu said promptly We want to win here We try to make a difference with our football and style of playAbout his future Sandhu said he wants to stay with Bengaluru as long as he is in India If I want to stay in India I have to choose the right place and BFC is where I want to stay I dont think any other ISL club works the way we doCatch up on all the latest sports news and updates hereDownload the new midday Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the go