Fit-again Lyngdoh shaping up well

Indian midfielder Eugeneson Lyngdoh will be returning to action after his knee injury in December last year and the ATK player Saturday said he's gaining confidence day by day.

ATK were struck by misfortune in their very third game last season in December, when Lyngdoh ruptured the Lateral Collateral Ligament on his left knee for which he underwent a surgery in January this year.

"It was a long term injury and was sidelined for a season. I could not do what i wanted. But I'm now trying my best and hope to achieve what I could not do last season," Lyngdoh, one of the best Indian midfielders, said.

"Things are looking positive. I'm looking to replicate what we did in pre-season and hope to get better and better," he said at the sidelines of ISL Media Day here.

Lyngdoh was on crutches for close to two months and after that he could bend his knee, started walking and did physiotherapy.

"I was back home (Shillong) in complete rest. The moment the brace came off, I was in Kolkata and then started working with the physios at ATK," he said.

ATK had a pre-season in Spain and their new coach Steve Coppell expressed full confidence in his recovery.

"I'm not trying to push him. But the good thing was his injury was 100 per cent curable. He looks in good shape and slowly going for tackles. He is growing in confidence day by day," Coppell said.

Of the 19 Indians in the squad, Lyngdoh is one of the six who have been retained from the fourth season. The others include Debjit Majumder, Prabir Das, Jayesh Rane, Komal Thatal and Hitesh Sharma.

ATK had a fruitful pre-season in Spain and won two out of their three practice matches and will take on Kerala Blasters FC in the ISL opener at the Saltlake Stadium September 29.