Was not getting enough playing time in Europe, claims Gurpreet Singh Sandhu

The tall and lanky goalkeeper was the first Indian to play a competitive match for a top-flight European club, during his stay at Norwegian side Stabaek FC, back in 2016. He also achieved another distinction by becoming the only Indian to play in the Europa League when he featured for the club during a qualifying round in the 2016-17 seasons. In spite of living the European dream, Gurpreet Singh’s stay in the Scandinavian nation was short-lived as he revealed that a lack of playing time prompted him to head back towards India.

“I didn’t want to continue, I wasn’t getting game time under the new coach after Bradley left. When you know that coach doesn’t want to give you a chance and wants to go with an experienced guy, I knew this wasn’t the place for me,” said Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, during an interview on Indian Super League’s Instagram handle.

“My first intention was to stay in Europe and I tried my best. There were one or two options but they were under the level which I was already at. So I didn’t want that. I would rather go back to India and be there,” added the footballer.

It was during 2017 that Gurpreet Singh Sandhu joined Bengaluru FC and since then has been a regular for the side, having guided the Blues to their maiden Indian Super League title in 2018-19 with his brilliant glove-work. The Arjuna Awardee is an automatic choice for the national side under the sticks, with him producing some sensational performances for the Blue Tigers in the past few years.