HÀ NỘI  Việt Nam defender Đoàn Văn Hậu yesterday signed a one-year loan contract with top Dutch side SC Heerenveen on the last day of the summer transfer window in Europe.

Hà Nội FC fullback Hậu, 20, passed a medical yesterday to seal the dream move.

Speaking prior to the medical, Hậu said he felt no pressure and he was confident in his ability.

Hậu will reportedly earn US$22,000 per month, with the team retaining a buy-out clause of $1.5 million.

In addition, SC Heerenveen have given him leave to play for the national team at the SEA Games this November in the Philippines.

“I feel lucky and am really happy to be here. It will be a big step in my career,” said Hậu who will wear the jersey No 15.

“I will try best to practice and learn more from my teammates as well as follow coaches’ instruction so I can strongly help my club.”

Hậu will leave the Netherlands for Thailand today to join his teammates to prepare for the 2022 World Cup qualifier on Thursday.

After the match, he will return home and pack his items to fly back to the Netherlands, where he may play against famed Ajax on September 14.

Hậu, a key player for the national team as well as the U19 and U22, U23 squads, has attracted scouts over the past year, who reportedly wanted to bring him to Germany, Japan and Thailand.

The versatile fullback has made 18 appearances for the national team and won the AFF Cup and the Asian U23 Championship’s silver last year. He also competed at the World Cup U20 and the Asian Cup.

He is the third Vietnamese player to move to Europe after Lê Công Vinh who turned out for Portuguese Leixoes SC in 2009, and Nguyễn Công Phượng who is on loan at Sint-Truidense in Belgium.

Gerry Hamstra, sporting director and technical manager of SC Heerenveen, told media it was not a commercial deal when they signed with Hậu.

He said SC Heerenveen scouts have been watching the Vietnamese player for a long time and were won over by his good performances and ability to play fullback and centre back.

After the news of the signing broke, SC Heerenveen have seen their number of followers on their Facebook page increase more that 20 per cent to 121,000.

Hậu is mostly unknown outside of Việt Nam, but has nearly 1.3 million followers on Facebook and 650,000 on Instagram, a platform the Dutch side have 40,000 followers on. VNS