SINGAPORE (9 June 2020) – Hougang United have signed Lionel Tan for the remainder of the 2020 Singapore Premier League (SPL) season after the defender completed his National Service (NS).
The Cheetahs confirmed Tan’s return on Monday through their social media channels. The 22-year-old made his league debut with Hougang in 2017, playing 13 times in the SPL that season while also turning out in two League Cup matches.
The 1.84-meter centre-back, who will take the number five jersey, told the club, “My time with the Young Lions has allowed me to mature as a player, under the guidance of my coaches.
“With this return to HGFC, I’m excited to build on this maturity and continue to grow as a player with the help of my coaches and teammates.
“HGFC finished 3rd in the SPL last year which is also their best placing to date. This is encouraging and I hope we can play good football together to achieve an even better position for our supporters”. The collective aim is to retain a spot in the AFC Cup, and to push further for the AFC Champions League spot.
“Personally, I’m aiming to be good enough to secure a place in the senior National Team. It starts with me performing well consistently with the Club and staying injury-free.”
Tan was signed from Home United, with whom he made his professional debut in the 2016 League Cup in a year that saw him help their Prime League squad to a double as vice-captain.
Tan enlisted for NS in 2018 and put his NS on hold for much of 2019 to join the Young Lions, where he played 19 times in the league, in order to stake a claim for the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games squad.
He went on to make Fandi Ahmad’s Singapore Under-23 side for the tournament and played three of the five games in the Philippines.- http://spl.sg/
