NorthEast United, having made to the play-offs for the second time ever in the Indian Super League, has a good mix of new and retained players with the lynchpin of the attack.
Jamil was instrumental to propel the squad after his appointment during mid-season, while this time, he will have the chance to lead the team with a fresh set of players.
NorthEast United FC has signed Flottman to strengthen its defense while Mauritanian forward Coureur has been brought up shake up its attack.
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Patrick Flottmann
Patrick Flottmann is a right-footed Australian centre-back and will be a panacea to the defensive woes of Khalid Jamil’s side.
READ | NorthEast United signs Australian defender Patrick Flottmann
Rising through the ranks of Sydney FC, Flottmann has also played in Thai League 2 and can also play as a holding midfielder if needed.
The 24-year-old has struggled to get game time in his previous spells at Sydney and given his age, he will be looking to make the best of this ISL season to earn playing opportunities for club and country.
For Australia, the defender has featured in three matches in the AFF U-19 Youth Championship in Vietnam.
Khassa Camara
Born in France, the 27-year-old has 35 appearances for Mauritania and has spent the five seasons in Greece, spending a season at GS Ergotelis and then the next 4 at Ao Xanthi.
An active international for his country, Camara last featured in national colours at the 2021 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers against Equatorial Guinea, which Mauritania lost 1-0.
One of the foreign players to be retained by NorthEast United FC, Camara will be an effective player in 3-5-2 or 4-3-3 formations, shifting from a defensive midfielder to a right-back position when necessary.
Federico Gallego
Gallego has been the masterpiece of NorthEast United FC midfield, assisting goals, creating chances and asking questions to the opposition.
Already in his second season in Indian Super League, Gallego has had four goals and six assists in 16 games for the Highlanders.
He paired with Ogbeche to become one of the most dangerous pairs of the Indian Super League and with Coureur arriving this season, this might be an opportunity for NorthEast United to go all guns blazing.
Gallego has experience of playing in Argentina, Uruguay and Guatemala.
Hernan Santana
Hernan Santana was one of the midfield talismans who led Mumbai City FC to the Indian Super League title win. For NorthEast United FC, he will be a steal, which finished third last season.
After finishing his development at the UD Las Palmas, the 31-year-old spent seven seasons at Las Palmas where he made his La Liga debut in 2015.
In 2018, Santana moved to Sporting Gijon, where he scored and assisted twice in 31 appearances over two seasons in the Segunda Division, the second tier of Spanish football. He joined Mumbai City FC on a loan, missing just four games last season, featuring 19 games, including the final against ATK Mohun Bagan.
Mathias Coureur
Coureur has plied his trade in a number of countries like France, Bulgaria, Georgia, Spain, Kazakhstan, South Korea and Turkey. He has also played for his national team quite a few times.
Khalid Jamil will try and use him as a replacement for Luis Machado, who was instrumental in the team’s attack last season.
ALSO READ | NorthEast United FC's Khalid Jamil becomes first Indian head coach in ISL
The fleet-footed forward most recently represented Samsunspor in Turkey and Cherno More in Bulgaria before that. He scored 15 goals in as many matches in the 2020-21 season.
Deshorn Brown
Brown has played most of his football in the United States, plying his trade for Des Moines Menace, Reading United and Colorado Rapids. He has one of the fastest goals in the history of MLS, with the goal coming in 15 seconds.
The Jamaican forward has been in the Indian Super League with Bengaluru FC and joined the Highlanders in January this year. With five goals in 10 matches for NorthEast United last season, he will be the man to mark for opposition defenders as the 2021-22 season kicks off.
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