KOCHI: Ever since it was announced former Manchester United stars Wes Brown and Dimitar Berbatov will be reunited in Kochi at Kerala Blasters, the Blasters faithful have been licking their lips over watching them play together in front of a sea of yellow.
However, with Berbatov now out injured for at least a couple of weeks, they were forced to wait further to watch the duo together. But what they did witness on Friday against NorthEast United was the first glimpse of Brown. And boy, did the Englishman impress!
Brown, who was a centre-back or a right-back during his heydays at Manchester, was deployed as a replacement for Berbatov in the midfield, however in more of a holding role alongside Siam Hanghal.
With Blasters shipping no less than five goals against FC Goa in the previous match, it was obvious that Blasters head coach Rene Meulensteen would shore up the defence to plug the gaps.
But the midfielder wasn't just providing the screen for the defence. Brown was instrumental in providing an attacking impetus to the team, especially with his range of passes finding the runners along the wings on multiple occasions.
And Meulensteen was pleased with the United legend's Blasters debut. “I didn't expect Wes to see out the full 90 minutes. I think he did extremely well and I am delighted for him,” the former United assistant coach said.
Brown had picked up a strain in his thigh before the start of the season missing the first few matches of the season, However, he had made it to the bench against Mumbai City Fc and Goa as he inched towards match fitness.
And deployed by him as a stopgap midfielder, even Meulensteen, by his own admission, did not expect Brown to adapt to his new role this well.
"What this proves is that Brown wasn’t 100 per cent fit ahead of the tie and more importantly, NorthEast United didn’t pressurise or make him enough to tire before the end of the game," said Meulensteen.
Brown's guile in the midfield was definitely one of the reasons Blasters came away with their first win of the season despite surviving a couple of scares towards the end of the game.
"There is no better signal for confidence to flow in a team than a win. I am happy to put a smile on the faces of the fans. The belief has never been away. We got good players; we know we can play good football," said the coach.
"You have to bear in mind that we have been together for only two and a half months. We have come a long way and we have a long way to go," he added. Blasters now travel to Chennai to face Chennaiyin FC on December 22.
adwaidh@newindianexpress.com