Ajayan named captain of Mahindra United
Krishnan Nair Ajayan from Kollam, Kerala has been named the captain of the mumbai-based Mahindra United Football Club for the upcoming season 2009-10.
The 29 year old midfielder led the I-League team in the last season when they clinched 2 titles – The Durand Cup and the Mumbai League. Ajayan has got the experience playing for the Indian National team which won the Nehru Cup last year. Ajayan is currently at his home town where he is nursing an injury suffered during a Mumbai League match.
Ajayan will play alongside 4 other Keralaites at Mahindra United – NP Pradeep, Sushanth Mathew, Justin Stephen and the recently acquired Aseem K.
Mahindra United has further strengthened their squad with the inclusion of full-back Denzil Franco from Salgaocar Sports Club and goal keeper Subhodeep Mukherjee from Mohammedan AC. The club has also included Nigerian striker Subair Muritala Ali from Chirag United.
The squad, which will get together for pre-season training on July 2, under their new coach David Booth, have several players who can play in different positions, giving the think-tank options to choose from in a squad with decent depth.
The former captain Sandip Nandy, striker Chidi Edeh, India junior right back Sunil Kumar, Japanese PIO Arata Izumi, Ex-India striker Manjit Singh, man-mountain central defender Harpreet Singh, ex-TFA and Bagan left back Manas Das – all have left Mahindra United following the coach Derrick Periera.
Henry Menezes have returned from Mumbai FC along with Arshad Hussain, to assist David Booth during his return to the Jeepmen.
