DSK Shivajians Football Club has announced the signing of defender Sandesh Jhingan on loan from Kerala Blasters till the end of the Hero I-League 2015/16 season.
The Chandigarh-born India International started his youth career at St. Stephen's Football Academy, where he helped his team reach the South-East Asian Finals of the Manchester United Premier Cup. He also represented Chandigarh in the BC Roy Trophy, which is a national U19 football tournament.
He signed his first professional contract with United Sikkim, where he played for the 2012-13 season in the 2nd Division I-League, gracing the field with the likes of Baichung Bhutia and Renedy Singh. In the following season (2013-14), he joined Rangdajied United, but midway through the season, he switched his alliance to Mumbai FC.
In mid 2014, he was selected by Kerala Blasters in the second round of the Indian Super League draft. He played an important part in Kerala Blasters' inaugural ISL campaign, which lead to him being named as the 'Emerging Player of the Year' at the end of the season.
Following the completion of the ISL season, Sandesh joined Sporting Club de Goa on loan, where he participated in the I-League, and helped his team avoid relegation. On completion of his loan, he returned to Kerala Blasters for his second season in the ISL.
Over the course of his career, Sandesh has represented India 13 times, with six of those appearances logged for the India Under-23 team.
Expressing his pleasure about the signing, Shirish Kulkarni, President, DSK Shivajians Football Club, said: "Sandesh is a proven talent and he has plenty of top level experience for his age. It will be good to have him in the squad where we have quite a lot of young players, who look forward to learn from the experienced lot. I'm certain that he will have a positive impact on our I-League campaign."
Sandesh arrived at the DSK International Campus last week where he underwent Pre Competition Medical Assessment.
