David Platt, the former England Captain, England U21 Manager, and Assistant Manager to Roberto Mancini at Manchester City till 2013 is the new manager of the Pune FC in the Indian Soccer League. .
a I didna t know much about Indian football until the opportunity arose and I spoke to club CEO Gaurav Modwel in London,a Platt told the Times of India.
a The more I researched and the more I heard, I became enthusiastic about the strategy of the ISL and FC Pune. There is an ambitious plan and the strategy appealed to me.a
Pune FC finished 6th in the inaugural edition of the Indian Super League (ISL) that was launched with much fanfare last year. The addition of David Platt will be yet another feather in the Pune FC cap which also saw them snap up former French International Striker David Trezeguet.
CEO of Pune FC, Gaurav Modwel said: a I think David will have a very strong impact on Indian football especially at the stage of growth it is in. Ia m sure the players and the fans will love him,a said Modwel.
a Once we got into dialogue with David it became apparent to us he was the guy wea d like to go for. When we got into conversations beyond his experience and credentials we could see his desire to make a significant contribution to the football revolution that is happening in this country.
a Hea s been there, hea s done it and hea s won things. Hea s not just taking this role for the heck of it and hea s not looking at this from a monetary point of view or in terms of a new life experience.a
The new ISL season will kick off on October 3rd 2015 and Pune FC under David Platt will be hoping to go all the way as Atletico de Kolkata did in the inaugural edition.