Mumbai's leading football club Mahindra United has signed up former international defender Derek Pereira as their new coach for the upcoming season.
"We are determined to win the National Football League in the next season and are signing up Pereira as our new coach towards this end.
"We are confident his strategic excellence would guide the team towards our goal," Mahindra United president Alan Durante said at a press conference in Mumbai after the former India and Goa player signed on the dotted line.
Durante described Pereira, who replaces Syed Nayeemuddin, as "young, energetic and strategic".
He said the club has retained most of the top Indian players, including international Shamugham
Venkatesh, for the season ahead and is planning to rope in some good strikers from abroad.
"We made a mistake with our foreign signings last year and signed them up (three Brazilians) without trying them out. We had a good set of Indian players but the team was let down (it finished overall fourth in NFL) by the foreign recruits," said Durante, adding "this time we have short-listed a few very good players for signing up."
Pereira, who was coach of Vasco Sports Club for the last six years and guided the Goa club to two third-place finishes in the NFL during his tenure, said he has already started training the Mahindra players.
"They are gelling well as a team," he said.