Indebted to coach Igor Stimac for faith in abilities, says Anas

Thanks coach for calling him back from retirement

E. Anas. File

Even as he was trying to come to grips with the decision to end his international career came the recall to the National team.

E. Anas reveals that apart from personal reasons, the decision to hang up his boots, also came from a sense of rejection.

He thanked the new head coach of the National team, Igor Stimac, for reposing faith in his abilities when many of his compatriots were beginning to forget him.

“I would like to thank our head coach for calling me back from retirement. It felt like my mother was calling me back after I had decided to leave home,” Anas said during an interaction here.

“The coach made me feel important, explained why I was required in the team. I had thought of the Asian Cup as the last important tournament and decided to end my international career,” he said.

“I always thought that I was a given a late entry into the National side. Perhaps, there were better players in the team’s defence. But after having finished the Asian Cup assignment (in January, 2019), I thought I would not last till the next big assignment,” Anas, rated as one of the best defenders in the country that made him one of the most expensive Indians in the 2017 ISL, shared his thoughts.

On the changes being effected by Stimac, Anas said: “He is a very good coach, especially for youngsters, who get to learn a lot of technical and physical aspects.

‘Hard work’

“Everyone looks for good results, but that does not happen overnight. The coach is putting in the hard work and working on the players individually to make it happen.”