Three promising footballers from a short coaching clinic in Kolkata will be sent for a two-month stint at Manchester United, sources at the Indian Football Association (IFA) that governs the game in West Bengal said.

Discussions with the Old Trafford club are over and they have assured cooperation.

The 21-day clinic has found immense response from young footballers and around 90 of them are receiving coaching since last Friday.

The IFA decided to add the Man U stint as an icing on the cake for the top three footballers as a ploy to attract children from the higher strata of society to football.

"We want our future Baichung Bhutias to emerge from this clinic," IFA secretary Subrata Dutta said.

Dutta said the Man U trip would not only expose the best young talent to international standards but also encourage others to take up the game.

"I will give my best in this camp," said Uttam Chakraborty, a Class IV student.

Contrast this attempt to catch 'em young for Indian football with the All-India Football Federation's move to encourage foreigners of Indian origin to take up citizenship and help build a strong national side.

The idea occurred to the AIFF mandarins after watching several teams like Japan, Tunisia, Germany and Australia, which have players of foreign origin representing these countries.

There are experts who don't welcome the idea, saying these players will find it difficult to adjust to Indian methods. They want the football authorities to encourage budding Indians in clinics like the one being organised by the IFA.