Mansfield Town have confirmed the signing of former Derby County youngster Jaden Charles on their official website.
The 19-year-old defender has been without a club since last summer when it was confirmed that the Rams would not be retaining him beyond the end of the 2019/20 campaign.
Since then, Charles has remained a free agent. Recently, the youngster has been training with League Two side Mansfield Town’s youth side. Now, it has been confirmed that the club have opted to snap Charles up on a short-term deal.
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Mansfield confirmed on their official club website on Wednesday that Charles has penned a contract at Field Mill until the end of the season.
The young left-back will be looking to make good on his chance with the Stags as he looks to secure a deal beyond the end of this campaign.
Upon the announcement of Charles’ arrival, manager Nigel Clough opened up on the deal. Speaking to the club’s official website, the former Derby boss said Mansfield will continue to assess Charles ahead of a potential contract extension. Here’s what he had to say:
“Jaden was initially training with our Academy to get fit and then stepped up to the first team sessions in the last few weeks.
“We’ll have a look at him over the coming weeks, with a view to next season.”
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Charles left Derby County last summer without making a senior appearance for the club.
Featuring in both left-midfield and left-back, the Irish prodigy scored three goals and laid on six assists in 31 games for the Rams’ U18s. He featured once for the club’s U23s, also playing three times in the UEFA Youth League.