Preston North End have signed West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard on loan for the rest of the season.
The Club were informed of Manchester United’s decision to recall Sam Johnstone after his loan spell came to an end after the home tie against Brentford, but moved quickly to bring in the Danish international custodian.
Lindegaard, who joined the Baggies in the summer from Manchester United, will be available for the next game against high-flying Derby County at the iPro Stadium in ten days time.
The 31-year-old admits he is looking forward to playing regular football: “The last couple of years have been a long dry walk in the desert and I need to get back playing and that feeling of happiness and enjoyment it brings with it. I have been really missing it, so I am really looking forward to this.
“I am only here for six months at the moment, but you want to be part of an ambitious project and from what I have heard from the manager and other people at the Club it is an ambitious project and that is a very good thing.”
He added that he had been sold by the thoughts of people about the Club from inside and out: “It is nice to know people when you are getting a new place to work, but what really made the move was the enthusiasm about Preston I have received from both people inside and outside the Club.
“The people I have spoken to at the Club have been very keen on this and the people I have spoken to outside Club have been very positive about Preston, so it came about quickly and I didn’t need a lot of time to think things through.
“Logistically it will be easier for me to work in Preston rather than Birmingham which is good, but the most important thing is the project and the right people, as well as getting back to playing football, which it is all about.
“The timing is good and I just can’t wait to get started, meet the guys and start playing football again; I have really missed it.”
Manager Simon Grayson was also delighted to complete the signing: “We have gone out and got someone with a lot of experiences, with some big clubs, an international and we are delighted to have got Anders.
“We are always trying to move forward as a football club, season to season, window to window. If you look back to this time last year we have kept improving and hopefully he will enjoy his time here and help us during the second half of the season in a positive manner.”