Panaji: Nim Dorjee will provide coach Manolo Marquez with options at the back after the Hyderabad FC defender completed a short-term move to FC Goa on Tuesday.
Goa have been on the hunt for a domestic centre-back after Sandesh Jhingan picked up a knee injury during the AFC Asian Cup and there are growing fears that the star defender could miss a large part of this season.
Manolo confirmed that the club is fearing the worst with Jhingan’s availability for the second half of the Indian Super League (ISL) campaign but stopped short of ruling him out completely.
“We don’t know the exact status, but we know it can be a bad injury,” Manolo told TOI on Tuesday. “We are waiting for a second opinion, though the feeling is that it will be a long-term injury. If true, we will need to sign another player because we don’t have too many defenders in the squad.”
In a statement late on Tuesday, the club said following Sandesh’s injury, he has “undergone a thorough series of examinations and the initial indications suggest a period of rest from competitive play will be necessary for his complete recovery.”
Jhingan’s absence could leave a big void for Goa. The defender has started and starred in all games for Goa this season, striking an effective partnership in central defence with Odei Onaindia. Jay Gupta is an established centre-back but has excelled on the left of defence under Manolo, so it’s unlikely that his position would be shuffled.
Nim’s arrival will strengthen Manolo’s hands. The two worked together at Hyderabad where he made 11 appearances last season and nine in 2021-22. This season, the defender, who made his ISL debut with NorthEast United in 2019, has made eight appearances overall and clocked 708 minutes. He has started in all eight of these appearances across Hyderabad’s 11 fixtures.
“Injuries are part of football and we have to deal with this. Last season (with Hyderabad), we had (Laxmikant) Kattimani injured at the start (of the ISL campaign) and Gurmeet did well. We lost Joao (Victor) for the second leg campaign.
“Finally, the team has to be competitive. Obviously, Victor (Rodriguez) was the best player in the ISL in my opinion till he was injured and Sandesh, everyone knows, is maybe the best centre-back. His injury came late with no time to find the replacement,” said Manolo.
Nim was able to make the late move to Goa after securing a provisional no objection certificate (NOC) from the All India Football Federation’s player status committee.
Along with three other players, Nim complained to the panel about unpaid salaries for multiple months and sought release from his existing contract on a just cause.
Goa have been on the hunt for a domestic centre-back after Sandesh Jhingan picked up a knee injury during the AFC Asian Cup and there are growing fears that the star defender could miss a large part of this season.
Manolo confirmed that the club is fearing the worst with Jhingan’s availability for the second half of the Indian Super League (ISL) campaign but stopped short of ruling him out completely.
“We don’t know the exact status, but we know it can be a bad injury,” Manolo told TOI on Tuesday. “We are waiting for a second opinion, though the feeling is that it will be a long-term injury. If true, we will need to sign another player because we don’t have too many defenders in the squad.”
In a statement late on Tuesday, the club said following Sandesh’s injury, he has “undergone a thorough series of examinations and the initial indications suggest a period of rest from competitive play will be necessary for his complete recovery.”
Jhingan’s absence could leave a big void for Goa. The defender has started and starred in all games for Goa this season, striking an effective partnership in central defence with Odei Onaindia. Jay Gupta is an established centre-back but has excelled on the left of defence under Manolo, so it’s unlikely that his position would be shuffled.
Nim’s arrival will strengthen Manolo’s hands. The two worked together at Hyderabad where he made 11 appearances last season and nine in 2021-22. This season, the defender, who made his ISL debut with NorthEast United in 2019, has made eight appearances overall and clocked 708 minutes. He has started in all eight of these appearances across Hyderabad’s 11 fixtures.
“Injuries are part of football and we have to deal with this. Last season (with Hyderabad), we had (Laxmikant) Kattimani injured at the start (of the ISL campaign) and Gurmeet did well. We lost Joao (Victor) for the second leg campaign.
“Finally, the team has to be competitive. Obviously, Victor (Rodriguez) was the best player in the ISL in my opinion till he was injured and Sandesh, everyone knows, is maybe the best centre-back. His injury came late with no time to find the replacement,” said Manolo.
Nim was able to make the late move to Goa after securing a provisional no objection certificate (NOC) from the All India Football Federation’s player status committee.
Along with three other players, Nim complained to the panel about unpaid salaries for multiple months and sought release from his existing contract on a just cause.