Bhaichung Bhutia has asked for patience as he formally signed up for East Bengal on Wednesday.

“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,” Bhutia told The Indian Express. The star striker, however, asserted that East Bengal will get out of the rut but everybody will have to be patient.

“East Bengal didn’t appear to have played as a team in the IFA Shield and Durand Cup. Team-bonding is very important, both on and off the field. For us to do well in the I-League we have to play as a team,” he opined. But all said and done, he now has an arduous task to lift the flagging morale of a side that starts its I-League campaign against Pune FC on October 3.

After a long time, Bhutia would be playing under an Indian coach. But according to him, it doesn’t make any difference. “It doesn’t matter at all. 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 goes along well with the players,” he said.

Bhowmick is under pressure after four consecutive losses — two in the IFA Shield and two in the Durand Cup — in the lead-up to the I-League. But the East Bengal coach believes that Bhutia’s arrival will change things.

“His presence will inspire everybody and the players are expected to raise their game,” Bhowmick said. Skipper Rahim Nabi concurs. “At the moment we need a leader on the field and in Bhaichung we have a leader,” he said.

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