Birmingham City have signed Republic of Ireland youth international Daniel Cleary after he was released from Liverpool at the end of last season.
The 20-year-old Dublin-born centre-half has signed a one-year deal with a further one-year option following a successful trial period with the Blues.
The Republic of Ireland Under-21 international left Liverpool after failing to make a single first-team appearance since joining the academy aged 11.
In September 2015, the defender was named on the Liverpool bench for the club’s Europa League tie in Bordeaux, but struggled to make an impression under Jurgen Klopp after earning the praise of previous manager Brendan Rodgers.
Buzzing to get started at such a big club.Time to work hard now 🔵🔵🔵 ⚽️ @BCFC https://t.co/0bBZiyLifZ
— Daniel Cleary (@DanoCleary) July 27, 2016
Development squad coach Richard Beale says Cleary is a positive addition to his squad.
“Daniel will add a little bit of steel and defensive aggression to the team," he said.
"Obviously he's come from Liverpool where all the players can handle the ball well and we hope that Daniel can put it all together consistently for Birmingham City Football Club."
Cleary previously had a trial at Birmingham as a 14-year-old prior to joining the Reds.
