Dheeraj Singh, who was considered by many to be India’s find of the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017, has now seemingly moved one step closer to securing his dream of playing for a European club.
Dheeraj, who left the AIFF developmental side Indian Arrows in the beginning of 2018, has been offered a 3-year deal by Scottish Premier League side Motherwell FC.
“There is no contract as of now. It’s just an offer so only if he gets a work permit will he be able to sign for the club,” said his agent Anuj Kichlu.
Dheeraj had been on trial with the side since February but will only be able to sign for the side in June once he turns eighteen and gets a work permit, the latter of which remains the biggest challenge.
READ | Dheeraj Singh’s Motherwell FC trail just the start of arduous, uncertain journey
“There is just a 10% chance that he will get it (work permit) at the first attempt but in the second attempt he might get it for the next season,” Kichlu stated.
{{/usCountry}}“There is just a 10% chance that he will get it (work permit) at the first attempt but in the second attempt he might get it for the next season,” Kichlu stated.
{{/usCountry}}A player must feature in at least 75% of his country’s competitive international games over the course of two years for acquiring a work permit in the UK.
There’s also the fact that the country the player is representing, over the course of those two years, should have earned a place in the top-70 of the FIFA rankings on average. At present, Dheeraj fulfils neither of these criterion.
The best solution at this point would be for him to play in another league for a season while Motherwell try and secure a work permit ahead of the 2019-20 season.