Hans Hateboer returns to boyhood club FC Groningen after leaving Rennes

Hans Hateboer returns to boyhood club FC Groningen after leaving Rennes Hans Hateboer has returned to FC Groningen after leaving Rennes in the summer. The 32-year-old defender, who came through the FC Groningen academy and made his senior debut with the first team, has signed a deal until the end of the current season. The former Dutch international will certainly provide some experience to the FC Groningen side that has had an average start to the season, with two wins, two draws and two defeats to start the new season. Hateboer made his debut for FC Groningen back in the 2013/2014 season and went on to play 111 games for the club, winning the KNVB Cup during the 2014/2015 season. In the winter window of the 2016/2017 season he joined Serie A side Atalanta, where he became a first team regular over many years. Before leaving to join Rennes in 2024, Hateboer played 245 games for Atalanta and earned himself 13 caps for the Dutch national team. Hateboer was part of the Atalanta side that won the 2023/2024 Europa League. In 2024 he joined Rennes but struggled to replicate the success he had enjoyed with Atalanta, playing just 29 games with a loan spell at Lyon last season. This summer he left Rennes. GBeNeFN  |  Ben Jackson