CHERRIES have announced the loan signing of full-back Ethan Laird from Manchester United on a deal until the end of the season.

The 20-year-old spent the first half of the campaign on loan at Championship rivals Swansea, where he played 21 games in all competitions.

Right-back Laird played 90 minutes of the Swans’ 4-0 defeat to Scott Parker’s men at Vitality Stadium in November – looking lively up against Leif Davis.

Born in Basingstoke, he spent the second half of last season with MK Dons under Russell Martin – now the head coach at Swansea.

An England under-19 international, Laird has played twice for Manchester United at senior level. He featured in Europa League matches against Astana and AZ Alkmaar in 2019.

He comes in to add competition in the right-back department for Jack Stacey, with Adam Smith having undergone surgery on a knee injury.

The deal is understood to have been put in place earlier this week, with the final pieces of paperwork completed and approved today.

Laird is Cherries' second signing of the January transfer window, following James Hill's £1million arrival from Fleetwood Town on Wednesday.