New Delhi, Sep 1 (IANS): Indian midfielder Manpreet Singh was named the Junior Men's Player of the Year by the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) at its Congress held in Kuala Lumpur Sunday.

The 22-year-old has played 103 international matches and captained India in the 2013 Junior World Cup here. He also led his side to the 2013 Sultan of Johor Cup title in Johor Bahru.

Manpreet made his international debut in 2011 and since then has been a regular member of the Indian team. The Jalandhar-lad was also part of the silver medal winning team at the 20th Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and represented India at the 2014 World Cup in The Hague.

At present, he is part of senior core probables for the 2014 Asian Games.

“I congratulate Manpreet for this special achievement. This shows the potential of young Indian hockey players. Manpreet works very hard and has proved himself at all age groups and competitions," Hockey India secretary general Narinder Batra said.

"Apart from a skilful midfielder, he also has leadership qualities to motivate other players to fight till the final whistle. This announcement is a great achievement for Indian hockey.”