Sligo Rovers defender Reece Hutchinson has agreed a move to League Two outfit Crewe Alexandra for an undisclosed fee, with the Bit O'Red bringing in former Republic of Ireland Under-19 captain James McManus on loan from Bohemians until the end of the season.
Birmingham native Hutchinson moves to the Mornflake Stadium after two and a half years at the Showgrounds.
The full-back initially signed on loan from Cheltenham Town ahead of the 2023 campaign. That move was made permanent later that year with Hutchinson going on to make 88 appearances for the club, scoring six times.
The Birmingham native played in all 36 league games last season and has featured in each of Rovers’ 22 games so far this year, scoring against Shamrock Rovers, Shelbourne and Galway United.
Crewe finished 13th in League Two last season.
Sligo have softened the blow by bringing in McManus.
The 20-year-old is manager John Russell's third new signing of the window following the arrivals of Seb Quirk and Patrick McClean last week.
All three players are eligible for first-team duties from this Saturday when the Bit O'Red host Shamrock Rovers.
McManus featured 12 times for Bohs this year, scoring the winner against Cork City back in April.
He was on the bench for the Dubliners' games against Rovers both in May and last Friday, but did feature for 90 minutes for Alan Reynolds' side's win over Sligo at Dalymount Park in April.
In total McManus played for Bohs over 60 times.
He said: "It didn't take long for me to be convinced that Sligo was the place for me. There were a few clubs that showed interest but once I knew Rovers were interested, I jumped at the chance."
Russell feels it's a good addition to his squad: "James is an intelligent midfielder who can dictate the tempo of any game. He can do a bit of everything, which I love in a player."
Sligo are in a fight to avoid relegation, currently four points above Cork City in the automatic spot.
As it stands, they're set for a play-off with a First Division side to stay in the top flight.
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