India U22 and East Bengal goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu is set to have trials with English Premiership outfit Wigan Athletic. Gurpreet will travel to Wigan on Wednesday for the trials with the club from the Greater Manchester area.
“I am trying to move out as soon as possible. I am keeping my fingers crossed,” the 20-year-old keeper recently told in an interview with “The Indian Express”. And Gurpreet’s dream has taken one step forward as former English goalkeeper and Ten Sports expert John “Budgie” Burridge arranged a trial for the youngster.
Burridge has been monitoring Gurpreet’s progress in the last couple of months and he even had a close look at the youngsters performances at the AFC U22 Championship 2013 Qualifiers in Oman.
The Englishman has been instrumental in pushing forward the career of Oman national team keeper Ali Abdullah Harib Al-Habsi, popularly known as Ali Al-Habsi, a few years ago. Al-Habsi signed for Norwegian side Lyn Oslo, before he went on to play for Bolton Wanderers. The Omani keeper is with Wigan Athletic nowadays and Burridge has utilized his contacts with the EPL to help Gurpreet in his aim to prove himself in Europe.
Gurpreet, who has been called-up to the Indian senior national team camp a few days ago, would not get a UK work permit due to the rules by the British Goverment. But there is a option to sign for Wigan Athletic, if the EPL side decide to loan the Indian youngster to some European club outside the UK.
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