Nato set for regular action under new coach

BONGANI MALUNGA

Ofentse Nato has been hailed as an important player by Atletico de Kolkata’s new coach Jose Francisco Molina ahead of the new Indian Super League (ISL) season. Nato is among the club’s foreign contingent that has been retained for the new season, which kicks off in October.
Molina was speaking to the club’s official site in a video interview in which he assessed the club’s four retained players, namely; Nato, Iain Hume, Jose Luis Arroyo (popularly known as Tiri) and Sameegh Doutie.
He was asked to state his views on the four players’ abilities and he said the following, “Well, of course they are different players.  Tiri is very aggressive, a very good centre-back. I think he did really well last season with Atletico de Kolkata. Nato is always in the midfield, he is also aggressive, he is good with aerial balls and duels, has good technique. He is an important player. Hume and Doutie are attacking players, Hume is more of a striker, who scores goals. That is why the club retained them, I am very happy to have them for the upcoming season.”
The coach’s comments are an indication of how crucial Nato has been to Atletico in the past three seasons. Nato is the ISL’s longest serving African player and also holds the record for the most appearances by an African player. He won the ISL in his first season in 2014, becoming the first Motswana player to win a league title outside the African continent.
Meanwhile, the ISL has continued its annual glamour additions. Former Manchester United and Atletico Madrid striker Diego Forlan has joined Mumbai City, former Chelsea and Barcelona star Eidar Gudjohnsen will play for Pune City FC and former Fulham and Newcastle United defender Aaron Highes will ply his trade for Kerala Blasters.
In the coaching department former AC Milan defender Gianluca Zambrotta will coach Delhi Dynamos while former Crystal Palace and Reading FC’s Steve Coppell will lead Kerala Blasters.