FC Goa striker Thongkhosiem Haokip feels honoured to be nominated by the Football Players' Association of India (FPAI) for the "Best Young Player of the Season" award, which will be announced on September 27.
Haokip faces competition from Pritam Kotal, Sandesh Jhingan, Jayesh Rane and Udanta Singh for the award.
"I am very happy and honoured that I am nominated. I feel lucky and blessed and this motivates me to work harder," said the Manipuri player.
The 22-year-old has scored seven goals in the I-League season 2014-15, in which he turned out for Pune FC to be the highest Indian goal scorer, including a memorable hat-trick against Shillong Lajong FC.
"I will try my best and keep going on. I cannot predict my future, but I will work hard in training along with the team," he commented.
"I also want to thank my (Pune FC) team-mates and coaches, who motivated and drove me forward from the time I was in the academy and in the senior team," he added.
Sharing his thoughts on the pre-season tour in Dubai with FC Goa that he was part of, Haokip said he felt blessed to train under Zico and Lucio.
"It was a good opportunity for me to learn from Zico as well as the coaching staff and players. I learnt a lot from the international players like Lucio and some Indian players also. So the experience was good for me," he stated.
Being drafted by FC Goa to play in the second edition of the Indian Super League (ISL), Haokip sees the opportunity as the next step of his career.
"I will be watched by so many people and it will help me get noticed in such a big league. For me it's a great opportunity to be in FC Goa, so I will always do my best and I will keep going on and help my team," Haokip concluded.
