India’s Under-17 goalkeeper Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem, who trialed with Scottish Premier League side Motherwell two months ago, was offered a three-year deal, Times of India reported.
Dheeraj had impressed during his stint at Scotland. However attaining a work permit remains a hurdle for India’s goalkeeper during the Fifa U-17 World Cup last year.
“He has done well during his time at Motherwell and the club has offered him a three-year contract, the Manipur-based player’s agent Anuj Kichlu was quoted as saying, “We have to now sort out the work permit which looks challenging.”
Dheeraj cannot sign a contract until he turns 18 on July 4. The report stated that, for a player to attain a work permit in the United Kingdom, he should have featured in at least 75% of his country’s competitive international games over the course of two years. 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 – this rules Dheeraj out on both counts.
Dheeraj could be allowed to play in another league during that time while Motherwell could try to secure a work permit ahead of the 2019-’20 season. “I am happy to know that Motherwell are happy with my progress in training and I would like to thank the coaching staff and management for this opportunity,” Dheeraj was quoted as saying.