Even after the national under-17 boys’ exit from the AFC U-17 following a 2-3 defeat against Thailand th national coach Ishfaq Ahmed sounded optimistic about the future of these boys, saying they have potential to make a strong under-20 national team in future.

”I hope they all continue the good work in their respective clubs and they keep playing more and more matches. That's the only way forward for these boys. The more they play, the better they will become. I think from this batch, most of them will progress to the under-20s, and I hope that in a few years, we will have a good, strong U-20 team, said Ishfaq while speaking to the AIFF website.

He also said he is proud of his boys, and shouldered the blame for the failure upon himself.

He admitted that he is disappointed with the result but at the same time praised the boys for their dedicated performance. “I'm really disappointed with the result, but not with the boys," he said. 

H continued, "They gave everything. They deserved more. They competed well against the hosts, they were leading twice. They were fitter than them. One lapse of concentration and we conceded in the end.” 

He added, "I spoke to all of them one by one. I told them that this isn't the last heartbreak you'll suffer in football. And it won't stay forever. You will have happy moments also. You will win matches, win trophies, get success. But you have to learn from the mistakes.

"I want to thank the federation for giving me this opportunity with this talented bunch of players,” concluded the national coach.