Butcher back to add experience in midfield

Calum Butcher has returned for a second spell with Burton Albion – six years after leaving the Pirelli Stadium. He was signed then, in 2015, by Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink to bolster the midfield in a side that was heading for promotion from League One after the Dutchman had led the Brewers out of League Two as champions.

Back then, he was signed from Dundee United and that is where he is arriving from again now. Now 31, the midfielder went from Burton to Millwall, then to Mansfield Town, before starting a three-year spell back north of the border, earning promotion from the Scottish Championship in his first season, then playing for two seasons in the Scottish Premiership.

"It's brilliant, I'm really happy to be here,” said Butcher, who has signed a two-year deal. "It's great to see some familiar faces. Working under the gaffer before, I know what he's about and we had a discussion and it just felt right. This worked out really well for me. When you move to a new club, you want to hit the ground running and this allows me to do that."

Hasselbaink sees his new signing as a defensive midfielder: "His role is a little bit different from last time he was here,” said the Dutchman. He used to play as a number eight but he is more of an experienced defensive midfielder now. We have signed him for his competitiveness and to give us a little bit more balance in our team.

“We think he could be the piece defensively that stops the counter-attacks and starts the play. He’s a little bit older now but he is still very fit and we are going to use him mainly in a defensive way.

“He’s not been training with anyone and his last game was in March, so we need to give him a bit of time to get fully fit. He’s quite explosive and is going to