SC East Bengal has signed the services of Lalrinliana Hnamte ahead of the eighth season of the Hero Indian Super League to blossom their midfield. Hnamte has signed a one-year contract with the club, which means he will stay with the team till the end of the upcoming season.

The youngster had joined the Pune FC U-18 team in 2018 and then participated in the Hero I-League U-18. Subsequently, he made a move to the Hyderabad reserves team and stayed with them till September.

The Mizoram-born player feels it is a dream come true for him and he is looking forward to giving his best for a top club like SC East Bengal.

“It is a dream come true for me. For a youngster like me, every day is learning and at such a big club like SC East Bengal, I know I have a great opportunity in front of me to showcase my talent,” Hnamte said.

“I am looking forward to playing in the [Hero] ISL also, which is the top league of the country. I can’t wait,” he added. Hnamte also featured for Mizoram in the sub-junior national championships in 2018.

Meanwhile, the seventh season of Hero ISL was SC East Bengal’s maiden stint in the tournament but Robbie Fowler’s team finished at the ninth position after managing only three wins in 20 matches and the club will be looking to turn the tables.

The club parted with Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler on Wednesday and has appointed Manuel ‘Manolo’ Diaz as the new head coach for the forthcoming season. Diaz has more than two decades of coaching experience under his bag and he is going to add value to the team.

The 53-year old has the experience of coaching teams like Spanish giants Real Madrid C.F and Real Madrid Castilla. He has an overall winning percentage of 41.77 in almost 350 matches he has coached.