Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) outfit Hyderabad FC have completed the signing of youngsters Lalawmpuia and Sweden Fernandes from FC Goa, the club announced on Monday. Both attackers have penned three-year contracts, keeping them at the club till the end of the 2022-23 season.

Lalawmpuia began his youth career with Pune FC and moved to DSK Shivajians before making his senior debut with the club. The youngster from Mizoram joined FC Goa’s developmental team in 2017, playing for the Gaurs in the Goa Professional League as well as the Durand Cup. He was promoted to the first team ahead of the 2019-20 Hero ISL season and will be looking to make his league debut with Hyderabad FC.

“I am very happy to have signed for Hyderabad FC. A lot of players that are part of our squad are the ones that I have admired for a long time. So, it’s great to be part of this team and I hope we will be able to put in a strong performance this season,” said Lalawmpuia after signing his contract.

Meanwhile, Sweden Fernandes, who like Lalawmpuia is 20, has been an active part of Goan football from a young age, playing at local clubs like Sporting Clube de Goa and Dempo SC. He joined the FC Goa developmental team in 2017 and has played in the Goa Professional League and the Hero I-League second division.

“I am very excited to sign for Hyderabad FC. This will be my first season in the ISL, and it’s a great opportunity. It won’t be an easy affair, but my target is to work hard to break in to the first team and then become a regular,” said Sweden after signing the three-year contract.

While welcoming the youngsters to the squad, Hyderabad FC co-owner, Varun Tripuraneni added, “Promoting youth is of utmost importance for us at HFC and we want to not just develop but provide opportunities to promising young talent. As a club, we’re constantly looking at youngsters who are hungry to perform and succeed. We have followed the progress of Lalawmpuia and Sweden for quite some time now and we believe they fit in well with our plans. Hopefully, they will settle into the squad soon and become important players over the course of the season.”