A day before the I-League kicks off, Bhaichung Bhutia formally signed up for East Bengal on Wednesday, but the Indian captain indicated that it would take some time before he settled down at the club.

“I am not 100 per cent (fit). I haven’t played for nearly a month. So, it will take some time for me to settle down. It’s not easy to start off in a spectacular fashion coming from a lay off,” Bhutia told The Indian Express. The striker, however, asserted that East Bengal will get out of the rut. “East Bengal didn’t appear to have played as a team in the IFA Shield and the Durand Cup. Team bonding is very important. For us to do well in the I-League we have to play as a team,” he said.

After a long time Bhutia would be playing under an Indian coach. But he said it won’t make any difference.

“It doesn’t matter. In fact, I played under an Indian coach in my first year with Mohun Bagan. Subhas Bhowmick is a good coach and very experienced, and he gets along well with the players,” he said.

Bhowmick, under pressure after four straight losses — two each in the IFA Shield and the Durand Cup — welcomed Bhutia to his old club. “His presence will inspire everybody and the players are expected to raise their game,” Bhowmick said. Skipper Rahim Nabi concurred. “At the moment we need a leader on the field and in Bhaichung we have that,” he said.

... contd.