Pune, Dec 15 (IANS): For its I-League football side, DSK Shivajians FC on Thursday completed the signings of five home-grown footballers from Indian Super League (ISL) outfit NorthEast United FC.

Subrata Paul, Halicharan Narzary, Nirmal Chettri, Lallianzuala Chhangte and Jerry Mawihmingthanga all returned to the club from the Guwahati-based ISL franchise, according to a club release.

The I-League starts on January 7.

Forward Narzary, 22, has made seven senior national team appearances so far in his budding career.

The 26-year-old Chettri, a seasoned professional is a versatile defender and is part of the Indian team set-up since 2011.

The biggest signing was Paul's, who re-joins the club after playing for them last season. The veteran goalkeeper, an India regular with 64 caps, is a big name among the home-based players. 

DSK coach Dave Rogers expressed happiness to sign the footballers.

He said, "I have followed Halicharan's progress over the last two years. His development in the Indian national team, and his performances at the top level have been excellent. He is one of India's brightest young talents and his pace and quality from wide areas adds another dimension to our game and a threat to opposition teams."

"Nirmal is a model professional with excellent experience; and a desire and passion which he carries both on and off the pitch. He will lead by example and bring organization along with commitment and dedication which is one of the main recruitment strategies we have at this club," 

"Subrata Paul for me is the best goalkeeper in India; so to sign him for DSK Shivajians is a real coup for our club," he added.