Former Manchester United starlet wants to ‘prove himself’ at Doncaster Rovers after showing early promise

A bright future seemingly beckoned for the forward, now aged 20, when he was a youngster at Manchester United attracting interest from clubs across Europe's major leagues.

Sotona turned down a three-year professional contract with the Red Devils in 2020 to join Patrick Viera’s OGC Nice in the French top flight, but the move failed to work out.

He left Premier League-bound Burnley at the end of last season, having failed to break into the first team at Turf Moor, and had been on trial with Doncaster before earning a deal at DN4.

Sotona, a former Republic of Ireland youth international, said: “I’m very happy to be here.

“Finally it’s over the line and I’ve signed, so I can’t wait to get started.

“I want to get my career going and I want to prove myself back in England and I think this is the club where I can do that.”

Rovers boss Grant McCann was impressed by what he saw from Sodona, who can play on either wing or up front, during his 45-minute cameo in Tuesday’s 3-2 friendly win over Boston United.

He said: “Deji is going to be a good player for us, I feel. He has real pace, he’s very direct and he wants to get at people.

“At 20 years of age he’s got a lot of developing to do, and a lot of learning to do, but we feel we can help him with that and, in turn, he will help the team.

"He’s a really exciting player.”