Lincoln City have announced the signing of Ireland Under-21 international Zack Elbouzedi.
The Dubliner leaves Waterford FC after a season in the League of Ireland.
It marks a return to the UK after spells at West Brom as a youth player and short periods at Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Elgin City.
Elbouzedi told the Lincoln club website that his ultimate aim had been to return to English football.
"I was at West Brom and it’s tough to break through there,” he said.
"I ended up going back home to Ireland. It was always the goal to come back and test myself, but it had to be the right club and I feel like Lincoln is the right club for me to progress in my career."
Young And Hungry
His move to Lincoln, who are 15th in League One, means the 21-year-old will work under ex-West Brom, Portsmouth and Blackburn manager Michael Appleton.
Elbouzedi says he made enquiries about the manager before making his decision.
"I spoke to a couple of people at West Brom about Michael," he said.
"They said he’s a great coach and will help me progress as a player. He’s young and hungry as well, and hopefully, we can both keep progressing.
"I spoke to other people in the football world and they had nothing but good words to say about him."
"It was always the goal to come back [to England] and test myself, but it had to be the right club and I feel like Lincoln is the right club for me to progress in my career.”
— Lincoln City FC (@LincolnCity_FC) December 16, 2019
Elbouzedi has been a key part of Stephen Kenny's Ireland Under-21s side during the current European Championships qualification campaign.
He scored in November's landmark 4-1 win over Sweden at Tallaght Stadium.
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