London: Former England captain David Platt has been appointed as the new manager of the Indian Super League side FC Pune City.
The 48-year-old has been out of football since leaving his post as assistant to Roberto Mancini at Manchester City in 2013, but previously was in charge of Nottingham Forest and England Under-21s.
“I didn’t know much about Indian football until the opportunity arose and I spoke to club CEO Gaurav Modwel in London,” Platt told the Times of India.
“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.”
The former France and Juventus striker David Trezeguet is one of the players on the books at Pune, who finished sixth in the ISL’s first season.
“I think David [Platt] will have a very strong impact on Indian football, especially at the stage of growth it is in. I’m sure the players and the fans will love him,” said Modwel.
“Once we got into dialogue with David it became apparent to us he was the guy we’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.
“He’s been there, he’s done it and he’s won things. He’s not just taking this role for the heck of it and he’s not looking at this from a monetary point of view or in terms of a new life experience.”
— Guardian News & Media Ltd, 2015
