Keeping an eye on the preparation of AFC U16 Qualifiers slated to be held later this year, the Indian U-15 boys national team will tour Italy for an exposure tour where they will be playing against the likes of USA, Mexico, and Slovenia in the MU-15 Championship.
Boys born on or after January 1, 2004, are part of the group and are being coached by Bibiano Fernandes, who had guided the U-15 colts to the quarterfinals of the AFC U-16 Championship in Malaysia 2018.
"We had good success with the previous batch, and are looking to build a similar setup this time too. USA, Mexico, and Slovenia are big teams. It will be good for the boys to play against such developed sides. We conducted trials throughout the country and scouted boys from different parts like Kohlapur, Goa, Kerala, Mizoram, Manipur," Bibiano said.
The coach believes that although his team is shaping up well, the boys still need to work on their basics.
"We still have to work on the basics on a few areas. But the boys are learning quickly. From having the previous team to building a new one, it's been quite a learning curve for me as a coach as well," he said.
Bibiano further said that with the previous batch having practiced alongside each other for a long time, it facilitates building formidable team chemistry.
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"The previous team was together for quite some time. So they were already ready. Right now, we are still looking for some positions. We have called up more boys who will be joining us after this tournament," the coach said.
Six boys from the last season's U16 team including Rohit Danu, Vikram Partap Singh, and Gurkirat Singh were part of Indian Arrows' I-League campaign in the 2018-19 season.
Danu went on to score four goals, becoming the youngest-ever goal-scorer in I-League history, while Vikram netted one.
India will take on the USA on April 28, Mexico on April 29 and Slovenia on April 30 in the MU15 tournament.