New signing bolsters the gaffers defensive options
Paul Hurst is happy with the youthful look of his squad after Shrewsbury Town confirmed the signing of Zak Jules from Reading.
The 20-year-old defender signs on a two-year deal for an undisclosed fee, and will join up with the squad on Monday after a short break following his participation in the Toulon Tournament with Scotland.
The boss explained why he was pleased with the direction that his first team squad is taking, with a blend of youth and experience now in the ranks.
He said: “We’ve still got some experienced players here and it might be that one or two more come in as well.
“But overall, we want the group to be younger and hungrier. We speak about value for money but we also want some value on the pitch, or the potential.
“There’s no point having a team of 30-year-olds, you’re never going to sell a player that way, I’d like a group of players that teams are coming to watch and scout.”
Hurst tracked the defender throughout the 2016/17 season and he’s pleased that a deal could be struck with the imposing defender.
“[He’s a] left sided centre-back, he can also play left-back, he’s a big lad from Reading’s academy, he has experience, he was on-loan with Motherwell last season and we’re delighted to have him here.
“We watched him in the U23s last season and he did extremely well, he stood out because he looked like a man already compared to some of the players on the pitch.
“He’s signed on with us for a couple of seasons, he’s a younger player that we feel has a lot of assets and probably just needs a few bits tweaking.”