Sunil's absence from Jordan game big blow, says Constantine

The "irreplaceable" Sunil Chhetri's absence from the friendly against Jordan is a huge blow, Indian football coach Stephen Constantine said Wednesday, staring at a bleak future upfront with his talismanic striker starting to grey.

The 34-year-old Chhetri has been ruled out of the November 17 friendly owing to an ankle injury. Constantine expressed concerns at the dearth of promising strikers and the void the country's all-time leading scorer's absence can cause.

"Sunil missing for the clash against Jordan is a big blow for us. He is a great player and has been fantastic for us in the last four years. He is one of those players that is irreplaceable but somebody has to take his place for the match against Jordan. Sunil is no spring chicken," Constantine said.

"However it is a great opportunity for young players to step up and although you cannot find a player of his calibre and class, we need to see if the young player step up and take this opportunity."
"We need to play teams like Jordan leading up to the Asian Cup where we would be under pressure. Even the game against China was the same where if you commit a mistake around the 18 yard box, you can easily concede. However, both sides are good technical sides and both present different challenges."
"Our preparation to the Asian Cup will also include a match against Oman and probably another friendly in December which is yet to be fixed."
"We have a group of players that have worked on themselves in the last four years and I need to thank the AIFF (All India Football Federation) President Praful Patel, General Secretary Kushal Das for their constant support."