Hitesh Sharma speaks after penning a new deal with Hyderabad FC

Twenty Three-year-old midfielders Hitesh Sharma recently signed a contract extension till the end of the 2022-23 season. Having made 15 appearances for the club in the season gone by, the most in a league season in his career, Hitesh spoke about signing the new deal, the season gone by, the support of the fans and more…

On signing the extension…

It was an easy decision for me to extend my contract here. Hyderabad FC showed faith in me and my ability after a difficult period. As a player, this gives you great confidence and helps you perform at your best. Hopefully, I can continue improving as a player in my time here.

On relationship with Manolo Marquez…

Manolo is a great coach. For me, playing under a Spanish coach for the first time, I have learnt a bit of everything. I will always be thankful to them for helping me in an important phase of my career. I have taken his advice for various things in the last few months and he has always been supportive of me. He was happy for me to continue at the club and that made the decision even easier for me.

On HFC’s 2020-21 ISL campaign…

Though we could not get over the line, it was a really good season for young players like me at the club. We were just one positive result away from taking a huge step but we know we have a chance to do that next season and we will work as hard as we can for it.

On his most memorable moment of the season…

I had a lot of memorable games this season that will stay with me throughout my life. But the first game of the season against Odisha was a really memorable one. I did not play a professional game of football for over a year before that game and I was really happy that I got a chance and played a part in our 1-0 win.

On what role he will play in the team next season…

The best part about our head coach is the fact that he wants us to play to our strengths. There is no particular role assigned to players in our team. I try to adapt myself to the needs of every game. You need to play a different role against tougher opponents and have a different role against teams that are happy to sit back and defend. Manolo always has plans for different games and we try to stick to it and that has been our real strength.

On targets set for the next season…

The plan is to continue working hard as an individual and improving as a team. I want to improve as a player and will put my full effort wherever I am. And at the moment, this is the right club for me to take steps in the right direction.

On the support of the HFC fans…

The fans played a really important role in making my decision. I must say, they have been really supportive since I signed for the club. I just want to say that we will give our best for the club and will fight till the end.