Coventry City manager Andy Thorn has said he will give his latest signing Adam Barton 30-45 minutes in today's pre-season friendly game at Port Vale.
Barton signed from troubled Preston North end yesterday after undergoing a very rigorous medical at Ryton to check his injuries have fully healed.
The 21 year old midfielder broke his leg in two places and dislocated his ankle last February while playing for Preston against Walsall. The injury scuppered a big money move to Liverpool.
Thorn is delighted to capture the Irish international, telling the CT's Alan Poole: “This is a great signing for us because Adam is a big talent and we think he can do extremely well here.
"He’s a tall lad with a great engine who likes to get forward and he’s attracted a lot of attention from other clubs but we sold to him what a fantastic opportunity this is for him and that he will be given a chance to shine here at Coventry.
“We can’t wait to get him linking up with the other boys and getting him some games under his belt. We’ve brought in a really good blend of younger players and experience so far this summer and Adam is another very good addition.
”He had his pre-season at Preston and we had a thorough look at him so we’ve got no worries on that score. He passed everything he had to, his tests were good and he played a full part in training so now it’s just game-time.
“I’ll give him half-an-hour or 45 minutes at Port Vale where we’ll be taking a full squad, perhaps with a couple of trialists. It’s a shame the fans won’t be able to watch the game but it should be another good work-out for us.”
Today's game was originally scheduled as an evening kick off, but Port Vale, managed by former Sky Blues manager Micky Adams, have not completed work on their ground which means their safety certificate cannot be issued therefore no fans are permitted to watch the game.