Players from Jamshedpur FC (Reserves) can look forward to rubbing shoulders with their seniors when it comes to training.

Ten footballers, including eight from the reserves side, will be part of the JFC pre-seasons in Goa, the venue of the cash-rich edition VII of Indian Super League (ISL), next month.

The move is aimed at giving exposure to the juniors who can learn new techniques from the likes of Nerijus Valskis, Stephen Eze and Peter Hartley, the prized possessions of the Tata-Steel-owned club.

Moreover, the juniors have an opportunity to impress head coach Owen Coyle and stand a chance of getting slots in the Jamshedpur senior outfit.

Jamshedpur FC CEO Mukul Choudhari said players of the reserves side would also train with the seniors. “We are working out the numbers to finalise who will train with our senior side in Goa. The names will be decided soon,” he added.

Sources within JFC revealed that juniors will stay in Goa throughout the ISL season which begins at three venues _ Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, the Tilak Nagar Stadium in Vasco da Gama and the GMC Athletic Stadium in Bambolim in November. Matches will be played with strict social distancing protocols.

“The entire objective is to provide adequate exposure to the boys from the reserves outfit. After all, the plan is to draft Jharkhand players to the senior side in future. The process has to begin. We had already picked the likes of Tata Football Academy graduates Mobashir Rahman, Vishal Das and Sandeep Mandi who were part of the senior side last season,” one of the sources said.

Some of the reserve players identified for the pre-seasons include Gorachand Mardi, Harsh Kumar, Billu Teli, Mani Sana, Manas Gorai, Gourav Kumar and Vishal Yadav. Two upcoming footballers from Dhanbad Raj Mahto and S. Bauri will also train with the seniors in Goa.

The JFC (Reserves) plays in the 2nd Division I League and some of the players had caught the eye of coaches with their performance. The boys travel to different cities to compete in the tournament organised under the banner of All India Football Federation (AIFF). Most of the players in the reserves side are from Jharkhand.

The juniors stay anchored in Jamshedur during the season and are provide good facilities, including food and accommodation. They are also provided top class training facilties.