Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem, the goalkeeper of the Indian Under-17 team which played at the FIFA U17 World Cup in India, has signed for Indian Super League side Kerala Blasters.

Reports had emerged earlier this year that the goalkeeper of I-League side Indian Arrows had been offered a trial and subsequently, a three-year long contract with Motherwell FC. Obtaining a work permit for Dheeraj was always going to be a challenge going by the official FIFA rules.

The rules state that for a player to attain a work permit in the United Kingdom, he should have featured in at least 75% of his country’s competitive international games over the course of two years. The country the player is representing, over the course of those two years, should have earned a place in the top-70 of the Fifa rankings on average.

The Real Madrid and Petr Cech fan represented his state in the National U-14 Championships at Kalyani in West Bengal in 2011, which opened the gates for a spot at the AIFF elite academy in Goa for the ongoing World Cup. The gangly glovesman was also a member of the Indian team that won the U-16 Saff Championships at Kathmandu in 2013.