Hariss Harun, Johor Darul Ta'zimGetty Images

Midfield enforcer returns for Super League champions

Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) has finally revealed the homecoming of Hariss Harun as the Singapore international will now fill the new ASEAN quota for the Super League team in the upcoming 2018 season.

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27-year-old Hariss has been on the books of JDT since 2014 but last year was farmed out to CE L'Hospitalet in the Spanish Third Division. It was an unsuccessful move as complications at the Spanish club meant that Hariss could not be registered and thus had to return back to this region.

The midfielder eventually signed on to play for Home United in the S-League. His presence in the team managed to help them to the AFC Cup zonal final stage before being upstaged by Philippines side Ceres-Negros FC.

Hariss' return will undoubtedly improve the JDT side under Ulisses Morais and he is expected to take up the defensive midfield role that was filled by the likes of Amirulhadi Zainal, Afiq Fazail and Gary Steven Robbat throughout the recently concluded 2017 season.

Also capable of filling in as a centre back, Hariss' composure, reading of the game and ability to bring the ball out from defensive areas were sorely missed by JDT during the 2017 season, particularly during the continental competition in the AFC Cup.

With his signing, JDT has now filled four out of the five import slots for the 2018 season. JDT's sporting director Martin Prest has indicated that a fifth Asian import is on the verge of being signed while a naturalised player is also being courted and to be confirmed in the near future.

JDT are expected to begin training for the new season weeks earlier than the other teams in the MSL due to their involvement in the AFC Champions League qualifiers that are scheduled for January next year.

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