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Shahril Ishak signs with Home United for 2018 S.League season

Singapore captain Shahril Ishak has returned to his former club Home United for the 2018 season.

Shahril, who turns 34 on Jan. 23, will try to fill the void left by the departures of striker Stipe Plazibat and national teammates Hariss Harun and Hassan Sunny. 

He moves from Warriors FC where he enjoyed an impressive 2017 season, scoring 11 goals in 24 S.League matches, plus a hat trick in the Singapore League Cup semifinals. 

Having won three AFF Suzuki Cup titles, in addition to the 2013 Malaysia Super League crown, Shahril will now try to clinch S.League glory for the first time in his 15-year senior career.

"It's an honour for me ... I'm glad to be part of Home United for the 2018 season," Shahril told Eleven Sports.

"I have great memories from [my previous spell at] Home United football club ... the best moment was when I won player of the year and goal of the year [in 2010]."

By accepting the offer of coach Aidil Sharin to join Home United, Shahril will become a key figure in the club's AFC Cup campaign. In 2017, they made the ASEAN zonal final and finished third in the S.League, playing an attractive brand of attacking football. 

Shahril, a second striker or attacking midfielder, could also come back into the reckoning for coach V. Sundramoorthy's national team squad at the 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup. He has earned 134 caps since 2003, but has struggled to secure a starting spot in recent years, missing November's internationals altogether.

"The last two seasons, I saw the positive things in Home United football club," Shahril said. "We have our targets... the AFC [Cup] and I hope I will perform at my best.

"[As for the S.League title], it's a goal for the club and for the players. I believe at Home United football club, we have to work hard and, hopefully, try to get some titles."

Shahril spent four seasons at Home United from 2007 to 2010 before joining Medan Chiefs in Indonesia. He also captained LionsXII when they tasted 2013 MSL success before a lucrative three-season stint with Johor Darul Ta'zim.

He was voted MVP when Singapore won the 2012 AFF Suzuki Cup to collect their fourth and most recent ASEAN title. 

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