Jerry Mawihmingthanga along with Lallianzuala Chhangte had made the headlines in India as well as in England in 2016 when the two youngsters went to Liverpool for a week-long training program at the club’s Kirkby academy.
The Indian boys who were a part of the DSK-LFC International academy in Pune were called up by the British giants on the basis of their merit.
After reaching Merseyside, the youngsters had trained with the youth teams of Liverpool and had also visited the famous Melwood training ground. They also had a chance to attend a training session of the first team under the tutelage of Jurgen Klopp.
“It was a great experience. We learned a lot of things from that trip. Everything is very different there from India. It was like a dream,” said the 23-year-old Odisha FC winger to Goal.
Liverpool FC
Mawihmingthanga also remembered training alongside current Liverpool right full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold who was still a part of the academy back in 2016.
“We met Trent Alexander-Arnold there. He was there at the academy at that time. We trained with him. Then there was Yan Dhanda. We also went to the Melwood training ground and we met the first team players. That was indeed memorable for us.”
It was indeed a dream come true for the Mizo youngster who had idolised Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho while growing up and was fortunate to meet the latter during his trip to England.
“Growing up my favourite player was Luis Suarez. I looked up to Luis Suarez and also Philippe Coutinho. It was a great experience to meet the Brazilian in person.”
Liverpool FC
The winger suggested that he was inclined towards football from a tender age and always dreamt of pursuing the sport at a professional level.
“I always wanted to become a footballer. This was a dream that I nurtured since I could remember. I remember in school I had to write an essay about our hobby and I wrote that wanted to become a footballer. My father and cousins used to play football but not professionally. I looked up to them.”
The former DSK Shivajians player made his debut in the Indian Super League (ISL) at NorthEast United before moving to Jamshedpur FC in the 2017-18 season. He regularly started for the club in his very first season and was highly rated by then Jamshedpur coach Steve Coppell.
Speaking about Coppell’s influence on his career, Jerry said, “He is a very good coach. I learned a lot from him. I developed as a player under him. He gave me a lot of confidence and helped me believe in myself.”
After a comparatively less productive 2018-19 season, the winger came back to limelight last season as he once again churned out some impressive performance under Spanish coach Josep Gombau.
The Mizo boy was all praises for his former coach and also thanked the club ownership for backing him continuously.
“It is a great team,” said the young player about his current employers. “We had a very good coach in Josep Gombau. He believed in me. We enjoyed playing together and worked as a team last season. Everyone, from club owners to coaching staff, worked as a team. They looked after us in every way possible. I enjoy playing for this club and I am happy to be here.”
The youngster is very excited to work with newly appointed Odisha FC coach Stuart Baxter who has the experience of working with the South African national team.
“Stuart Baxter is a big name and a high profile coach. I am really looking forward to working with him. I want to learn more and develop further as a player under him.”
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