Former Manchester United starlet, Jacob Carney, believes his move to Newport County “ticked every box” for the promising goalkeeper.
Carney, 23, signed a two-year contract at Rodney Parade today after making the move from Spanish second division club CD Castellon.
And the highly-rated stopper is hoping the experience he has gained training alongside the likes of goalkeeping great David de Gea while at Old Trafford will stand him in good stead for the future and provide competition for Exiles stalwart Nick Townsend.
“I’m really happy to be here,’’ he explained. “I’ve been speaking to the club for quite a while and now that it’s all done, I’m looking forward to getting into pre-season and meeting the lads.
“The philosophy of the chairman (Huw Jenkins) is how I want to play. It ticked every box for me. Having played in Spain last year, it’s completely different to British football. It’s complete football in Spain while here it’s more rough and tumble. Hopefully I can take what I learnt in Spain and mix it in with the style here.’’
Carney can also call on his Red Devils experience after coming through the ranks at Manchester United before relocating to the north east for a two-year spell at Sunderland that included loan spells at Stocksbridge, Brighouse Town and Portadown.
“I’ve trained with the likes of David de Gea and Marcus Radford and taken lots of lessons off them,’’ he added. “But I also want to take some lessons from the guys that are here as well.
"They’ve played a lot more league minutes than me, so I hope I can use all those experiences.
“I’m delighted it’s a two-year deal because it’s nice to know you are wanted by a club for a long period of time. It allows you to develop with the club rather than being here for just one year or on loan.
“I want to progress and help Newport move forward as a club. I’m really looking forward to playing in front of the fans at Rodney Parade. It’s my first time here, but I’ve seen lots of clips. It’s mad.’’