Man Utd select four Indian youth footballers for Old Trafford trip

Manchester United have selected four talented Indian youngsters at the end of the second season of their grassroots football competition 'United We Play', and they will be rewarded with a trip to Old Trafford.

Chandigarh's Ronald Singh, Pune's Kunal Yeole, Meghalaya's Federick Kurbah and Chennai's RS Preyarhanjan were the ones who stood out from the crowd and caught the eye of coaches.

14-year-old Ronald, the youngest of the winners, is an academy star from the Minerva Academy in Chandigarh and idolises Cristiano Ronaldo.

Kunal, a 16-year-old right-winger, hails from Pune and is a huge fan of Jadon Sancho and Ronaldo.

16-year-old Federick is an attacking midfielder from Meghalaya who idolizes Neymar Jr.

And 16-year-old RS Preyarhanjan, a right-back from Chennai, who simply loves playing and watching football.

United legends Peter Schmeichel, Nemanja Vidic, Wes Brown, Louis Saha, Mikael Silvestre, Quinton Fortune and Ronny Johnsen were left impressed by the talent on show, especially the four mentioned youngsters.

These Indian stars of the future will soon visit Old Trafford and enjoy the club's matchday experience, interact with legends and also experience a training session with the Manchester United Soccer School coaches.

The four footballers were selected from more than 5,000 applicants from across India and had to go through a lot a competition to claim their winning spot.

Victoria Timpson, CEO of Alliances and Partnerships at United, said: “Manchester United is proud of its longstanding partnership with Apollo and the continuous work they do to encourage football amongst aspiring young players in India. In its second successful year, the United We Play programme has reached more than five thousand players across India, giving them an opportunity to express their skills and love of the game.

“It is a delight to see so many talented young footballers participate in Apollo’s United We Play programme and on behalf of everyone at Manchester United. I congratulate all the finalists and as well as the final four winners.”

Rajesh Dahiya, Vice President, Marketing, Sales and Service (India, SAARC & Oceania), Apollo Tyres Ltd, said: “Our grassroots programme for the development of football, is showing some success, as we see good talent emerging from different parts of the country. This season, the selectors have had a tough time choosing the best four out of more than five thousand participants.

"While the selected ones will have the opportunity to engage with and learn from one of the most iconic clubs in the world, I would also like to compliment the extremely talented kids who couldn’t find a place in the final four.”