Mid-laner Yoo "Naehyun" Nae-hyun has reached a verbal agreement with Aegis to compete in the LFL, sources tell Sheep Esports on Tuesday. This move will mark the player's return to competitive play after retiring in 2022 to serve in his country's military service. The team also showed interest in Jeong "Mireu" Jo-bin and An "FIESTA" Hyeon-seo, prior to settling with Naehyun.

Returning to Europe

Once a promising South Korean talent, the 28-year-old mid-laner is now poised to pick up where he left off at the end of 2022. To European fans, Naehyun will remain best known for his time with the infamous 2017 Origen roster in the EU LCS. With the team, the player endured an unfortunate record of 2 victories and 32 defeats before eventually being relegated by Giants Gaming.

Despite troublesome times in the region, Naehyun later absolved himself of his past faults, notably competing in the LCK and achieving decent results before eventually retiring at the end of 2021.

Now returning from an extended break to serve in the South Korean military, Naehyun is fired up and ready to compete at the highest level once more. Sources indicate that, while the player will have to prove himself within the LFL first, his aspirations remain high, and the mid-laner hopes to regain his past skills in order to join the LEC once more, for the first time since 2017.

A Struggling Organization

Unfortunately, the first half of 2024 has not been kind to Aegis. Despite initially acquiring exciting prospects in Tobiasz "Agresivoo" Ciba and Andrija "Nafkelah" Kovačević, the organization struggled to find its footing within the league. Sitting in a tied 3rd place at the end of the spring split's week 3, the team initially appeared to have the firepower to compete with some of the best teams in the league, before eventually going on a 12-game losing streak and finishing in last place.

Having secured top laner Lucas "Badlulu" Piochaud and jungler Byeon "Citrus" Ji-woong, Aegis has now found the final piece to its puzzle. Alongside this new jungler, Naehyun is expected to form a potent mid-jungle duo for the team as it aims to improve on its past results within the LFL. While it is difficult to predict if the team will perform in the summer season, one can imagine that the ability of the Korean duo to adapt to this new environment will play a significant role in Aegis' summer performances.