IRELAND INTERNATIONAL ROBBIE Brady has signed a one-year contract with Championship club Preston after a trial at Deepdale.
The 30-year-old former Manchester United trainee, who has also played for Hull, Norwich and Burnley, made seven appearances for Bournemouth last season as they secured promotion back to the Premier League.
“I’m delighted to get something done and I’m just excited and really looking forward to getting going and hitting the ground running,” said Brady.
“It’s been excellent coming into a good group. The manager phoned me a couple of weeks ago and I’ve really enjoyed it since I’ve come in.
“The lads have all been more than welcoming. The people around the place are all friendly and it made me feel comfortable, so I’m delighted to be here and I’m looking forward to a good season ahead.”
Brady is a highly experienced player at both club and international level, having made over 150 appearances in the Premier League, while representing his country on 57 occasions.
The former Manchester United player was named as the Republic of Ireland’s Player of the Year in 2016, following his performances in Euro 2016 where he scored twice as the boys in green reached the knockout stages.
Brady operates mainly down the left-hand side and can be expected to be used as a left wing back this season under Ryan Lowe.
The Preston manager said: “You just have to look at his calibre. He’s a full-blown international, he’s played at the top level and he’s been around the block, but still young at 30 years of age.
“His left foot is probably one of the best outside of the Premier League.
“He’s a fantastic player and a great lad. He was with us for a few days training and once we knew there was a deal to be done we felt we’d get it over the line.
“He’s an unbelievable talent and we feel it’s a big acquisition to get someone who’s played in the Premier League for large parts of his career.”
Former Liverpool midfielder Ben Woodburn has also signed a one-year deal with Preston.
The 22-year-old, whose contract at Anfield expired this summer, has enjoyed a successful trial with the Lilywhites, who have an option to extend his stay by a further 12 months, during the first week of pre-season under manager Ryan Lowe.
Woodburn has also had loan spells at Sheffield United, Oxford, Blackpool and Hearts.
Woodburn was handed a senior debut by Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp as a 17-year-old against Sunderland in November 2016 and, three days later, became the club’s youngest ever goalscorer.
He also became the second youngest player to find the back of the net for Wales when he struck in a World Cup qualifier against Austria in September 2017.
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