SLIGO ROVERS HAVE completed the signing of midfielder Matty Wolfe on a one-year deal following his departure from English League One side Barnsley in November.

Wolfe, 24, was Barnsley’s Young Player of the Year in 2022 but he has been sidelined for the last two years since suffering a serious knee injury against Accrington Stanley.

Wolfe’s contract with Barnsley expired last summer but given his longevity with the club — a native of nearby Wakefield, Wolfe joined The Tykes when he was 10 — they allowed him to complete his rehab at Oakwell.

Wolfe made 17 Championship appearances for Barnsley during the second half of the 2021/22 season following a loan spell at Esbjerg in Denmark’s second tier.

He played 13 more times in League One for relegated Barnsley the following season before suffering the knee injury which threatened his career in January 2023.

Wolfe has been training with Sligo Rovers throughout pre-season for John Russell’s side, and the West Yorkshireman will reboot his career in the West of Ireland having been convinced of the move by Barnsley teammate Barry Cotter, formerly of Limerick, Shamrock Rovers and St Patrick’s Athletic.

“I’ve spoken to a few players about playing here”, Wolfe told Rovers’ website.

“Barry said, ‘Just go,’ and that I’d enjoy it. The football seems to be very underrated over here and the way the teams play in the League of Ireland should suit my style.

“The gaffer was in touch with me through Zoom and I was really interested in what he had to say. The ideas he had, the way he wants this team to play and the ambition he shows really impressed me. I want to be a part of that.

“I really enjoyed Denmark,” added Wolfe, who has left England for the second time in his career. “It was something new and a very different culture. I was out of my comfort zone, a little like coming over to Ireland, which is good. But everyone here is so welcoming and you can really feel that Sligo Rovers is one of those clubs that matters a lot to the local community.”

Rovers boss John Russell said that it was “exciting to be able to bring a player of the calibre of Matty to the club”.

“He’s a player with huge potential and is exactly the type of midfielder we need here,” Russell continued.

“He’s aggressive and covers the ground as well as being comfortable in possession. A player like Matty really adds quality to the team.

“He has been unfortunate with injury which stalled his early promise at Barnsley. But he has fully recovered now and we want to get him back playing and enjoying his football again.

“I know from our conversations he is excited by the opportunity here and I’m looking forward to working with him this year.”