United have today completed the signing of Manchester United defender James Chester on a loan deal that will keep him at the club until 3 January 2011.
The Warrington born centre-back played in the 1-0 win over SPL side Hibernian on Sunday afternoon just a day after joining up with the United squad for the first time.
He has previously had spells on-loan at Plymouth Argyle and Peterborough United and made one appearance for the Manchester United first team, in a Carling Cup semi-final win over Derby County.
The 21-year-old had been due to feature for a Manchester United XI against SPL side St Johnstone on Saturday but left the team coach on the way to Perth to travel back down the M6 and prepare for his move to Cumbria.
United manager Greg Abbott revealed his delight in completing the signing of Chester, who will provide another option at the back.
He said: "James is one we've known about for a while and as soon as I heard there was a chance of getting him in I jumped at it.
"He has a good pedigree and is very highly thought of at Old Trafford. We are very grateful to Manchester United for allowing us to take him on-loan for the first half of the season.
"It's a deal that is ideal for both parties really as it leaves his options open. If come the end of his spell he's in blinding form, he may decide to go back to Manchester and push for a place there or at another Premier League or Championship club. If he's really enjoying himself he may decided to extend his stay, but we'll come to that one in January.
"His qualities were clear for everyone to see against Hibs. His reading of the game was excellent and he's pretty comfortable on the ball too. He might not be the tallest, but he's still pretty good in the air. Against a big 6 foot 4 forward like Nish on Saturday he barely lost a header he challenged for.
"Another big factor in bringing him here was his willingness to play first team football. The fact that he had no hestitation about getting off the Man United team coach to Scotland to head back and prepare for a move here tells me we've signed a really good character."
James will take up squad number 24 and is available for selection in the season opener against Brentford on Saturday.
Speaking about the move, James revealed why he had decided that a move to Brunton Park was the right one for him.
He said: "I didn't even have to think about it when the coaching staff at Old Trafford told me about the opportunity to come here.
"Warren Joyce [Reserve Team coach at Manchester United] encouraged me to make the move. He said it was a good club with a decent fan base and that the coaching staff here would look after me.
"Last season was a really frustrating one for me as I had a bad injury that meant I didn't play a lot of football. Knowing that I can potentially get six months of football under my belt here was a big incentive.
"I only met the lads for the first time on Sunday morning so I was quite happy with my performance against Hibs. I'm still learning some of the lads names but I obviously know of the likes of Ian Harte and playing alongside someone of his quality will be really good for me.
"I've had a couple of loan spells now including one at Peterborough in League One so I know what the standard is like at this level. It can be quite physical and I might not get too much time on the ball, but most teams do still try and play the game properly.
"The one problem is that those previous loan spells were only for a month or so, so hopefully with a half season deal I can make more first team appearances and continue to build up my experience."
Video interviews with Greg Abbott and James Chester will be available to United Player subscribers later today. You can watch a freeview clip of Greg Abbott at the top of this page as he talks about bringing James in and the importance of the loan system.
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