The All India Football Federation's (AIFF) technical director Scott O' Donell visited French club FC Metz to review the performance of the five Indian boys who have been training at its academy for the past five to six weeks.
O' Donell spent significant time with the boys, their coaches and observed their training sessions.
He was extremely pleased with the training sessions and the progress made by the boys.
"The boys have fitted in very well. I observed four training sessions and one game and our boys did not look out of place at all," O' Donell said in an AIFF release.
"Training and playing with and against quality players has certainly benefited the boys. FC Metz Academy staff have made the players feel part of the club. It is an excellent opportunity for our boys," he added.
Denis Schaeffer, director of the academy said, "after a few weeks in Metz, the Indian players have progressed very satisfactorily. Their football level was a pleasant surprise to us."
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"It appears that their work at the AIFF academies have developed the fundamental technique which allows them to adapt easily to our technical requirements and training sessions."
The boys have played a number of games with the FC Metz U-19 academy team and have impressed many.
O' Donell will again be visiting Metz in September 2016 just after the pre-season to review further progress.
Anirudh Thapa, Prosenjit Chakraborty, Jerry Lalrinzuala, Baoringdao Bodo, Bedashwor Singh are the five players who are in Metz academy.
--IANS
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