Premier League legend and former Scotland international Paul Dickov has said that he is impressed by the growth of Indian football over the last five years. Dickov, who played for a number of clubs including Manchester City, Arsenal and Leicester City, added that Football Sports Development Limited's (FSDL) partnership with the Premier League has played an important role in the growth of the sport in India.
Dickov was in India as part of the PL30 celebrations, a celebration of 30 years of the Premier League, and said that the quality and knowledge within Indian football had improved each time he has visited the country.
"You can see it yourself, the improvement. The teams are improving (as well as) the individual players. I think when you've got them and you've got the Premier League coming together, it can only help improve Indian football as a whole," he said.
"I know the Premier League is looking to do the Next Gen Cup, which is great because it is going to give international experience to the young players that are around as well.
"It's all about progressing. The more progressing that happens, the bigger Indian football is going to be."