Shrewsbury Town sign former Liverpool midfielder following second trial outing

The Liverpudlian, 27, penned his deal on Tuesday night as Shrewsbury drew 1-1 at AFC Telford United, in which he played 75 minutes.

It was his second trial fixture in Town colours after an eye-catching display in the 2-1 victory over Derby County at Croud Meadow. Rossiter has been training with Paul Hurst's Town since Friday after the head coach contacted the former Liverpool youngster at the start of last week and the duo met for talks last Wednesday.

Rossiter impressed boss Hurst again against the Bucks, as Town struggled late on and let their 1-0 lead slip in stoppage time.

The ex-Reds and Rangers man, a former England youth international, has turned out for Fleetwood Town and Bristol Rovers in the EFL, as well as a loan at Bury.

At his last club Rovers Rossiter spent more than a year on the sidelines through an infection in his knee following knee surgery. He was offered a new deal by the Gas but was unable to agree terms and has spent time on trial at Stockport County this summer, where he was also offered a contract.

Both Rossiter and Hurst said, however, that a move to Shrewsbury felt right after initial talks.

Hurst said: "In this sort of game (against Derby on Saturday) there are more obvious times when the opposition have it and are building, and there he shows his value.

"Tonight, against Telford, once he went off – and no criticism of those coming on – without him and Carl we lost that structure and knowhow.

"On the ball tonight I think he played some good balls, he punched the ball forward in between their midfield and backline.

"He's a really good kid, that's what we were told right from the start and we could see that when he came in. I think there's an element of him being a little bit nicer than what I expect him to be moving forward, ultimately because he was on trial. We knew it was never going to be a long trial.

"His fitness has been an issue but he's come through the games, when you see him walking he's not the easiest mover. But when he's on the pitch he almost kind of changes. I think he could be a really big player for us.

"I really hope for his sake as well as our own he can stay fit because he's had some terrible luck, especially with the infection in the knee. Yes there was an injury first but the infection is obviously nothing to do with him.

"He'll be a big player and even if he's not fit for a game or two, around the place he'll be really good. He's a leader and a winner and I'm delighted we've added him to the squad."