{"id":625159,"date":"2023-07-14T14:17:51","date_gmt":"2023-07-14T18:17:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/?p=625159"},"modified":"2023-07-14T14:25:36","modified_gmt":"2023-07-14T18:25:36","slug":"doncaster-sign-former-manchester-united-forward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2023\/07\/14\/doncaster-sign-former-manchester-united-forward\/","title":{"rendered":"Doncaster Sign Former Manchester United Academy Forward Who &#8216;Can Eliminate Players With His Speed&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Doncaster Rovers have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.doncasterroversfc.co.uk\/news\/2023\/july\/sotona-signs\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">completed<\/a> the signing of Deji Sotona on a two-year deal.<\/p>\n<p>The 20-year-old featured as a trialist in a recent friendly win over Boston United, impressing and earning himself a contract with the League Two side.<\/p>\n<p>Sotona is the ninth summer signing for <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2023\/05\/12\/former-hull-city-boss-returns-doncaster-rovers\/\" target=\"_self\">manager Grant McCann<\/a>, who was appointed in May and will look to drive the club back up to League One.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Read More: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2023\/06\/16\/doncaster-rovers-loan-wolverhampton-wanderers\/\" target=\"_self\">Doncaster Rovers Sign &#8216;Exciting Young Winger&#8217; on Loan From Wolverhampton Wanderers<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Brentford B head coach Neil MacFarlane described the forward as being a talent who <a href=\"https:\/\/theathletic.com\/3136418\/2022\/02\/17\/deji-sotona-manchester-united-vieira-brentford\/?access_token=4546280&amp;redirected=1\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">&#8216;can eliminate players with his speed&#8217;<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Doncaster Rovers Sign Forward Deji Sotona on Two-Year Deal<\/h2>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">We are delighted to confirm the signing of Deji Sotona on a two-year deal<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udd34\u26aa <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/drfc?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#drfc<\/a> \ud83c\udff4\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc62\udb40\udc73\udb40\udc63\udb40\udc74\udb40\udc7f\ud83c\udff4\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc62\udb40\udc73\udb40\udc63\udb40\udc74\udb40\udc7f<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ofYOAL8Czi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/ofYOAL8Czi<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Doncaster Rovers FC (@drfc_official) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/drfc_official\/status\/1679905849043451905?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">July 14, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3>Speedy Forward Can Help Bring Best Out of Others as Well as Announce Himself Professionally<\/h3>\n<p>Despite leaving Manchester United&#8217;s academy with the <a href=\"https:\/\/theathletic.com\/3136418\/2022\/02\/17\/deji-sotona-manchester-united-vieira-brentford\/?access_token=4546280&amp;redirected=1\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">promise<\/a> of first-team football at Nice in September 2020, Sotona&#8217;s professional career has yet to get going.<\/p>\n<p>Sotona has had periods with Brentford and Burnley in recent seasons in a bid to get himself performing in English football. A recent loan spell with Kilmarnock in Scotland may have helped prepare him for his next move.<\/p>\n<p>Sotona joins Doncaster, a club eyeing up promotion in League Two &#8211; a division where most teams are doing the same, making the task a difficult one.<\/p>\n<p>The South Yorkshire side underperformed woefully in the last campaign, dropping to 18th in a season they concluded with Danny Schofield as head coach.<\/p>\n<p>Much change has been made since with a new manager and now nine new players, as well as a much more optimistic fanbase nowadays.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Read More: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2023\/06\/13\/defensive-midfielder-doncaster-rovers-signing\/\" target=\"_self\">&#8216;Good Background&#8217;: Defensive Midfielder Becomes Seventh Doncaster Rovers Signing<\/a><\/p>\n<p>One key element in last season&#8217;s demise was perhaps the underperformance of right winger Luke Molyneux. Sotona, a quick and direct forward, who impressed in the first half of a 3-2 friendly win over Boston, ensuring Doncaster sign him, could be the perfect competitor to bring the best out of himself and Molyneux.<br \/>\n<a id=\"arYB4cONRENnuUSXcGqcug\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1204279067\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'arYB4cONRENnuUSXcGqcug',sig:'gv8KwN4UeWFfEAhpgG46aVrlvozHJee5xh-_mSnsQIA=',w:'594px',h:'467px',items:'1204279067',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n<h3>Deji Sotona Looking to &#8216;Get Career Going&#8217;<\/h3>\n<p>On joining Rovers, Sotona told the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.doncasterroversfc.co.uk\/news\/2023\/july\/sotona-signs\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">club website<\/a>: &#8220;I&#8217;m very happy to be here. Finally it&#8217;s over the line and I&#8217;ve signed so I can&#8217;t wait to get started.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;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.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Grant McCann <a href=\"https:\/\/www.doncasterroversfc.co.uk\/news\/2023\/july\/sotona-signs\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">added<\/a>: &#8220;Deji is going to be a good player for us I feel, He has real pace, he&#8217;s very direct and he wants to get at people.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;At 20 years of age he&#8217;s got a lot of developing to do and a lot of learning to do but we feel as if we can help him with that and, in turn, he will help the team. He&#8217;s a really exciting player.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Doncaster are currently on a team bonding trip in Scotland during pre-season. Their next fixture sees them travel away to York City on Tuesday, July 18 as they continue to build towards their League Two opener v Harrogate Town on August 5.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Main Photo<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-624301\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/06\/7791982096_94eff0e081_k-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"Eco-Power Stadium Doncaster, UK\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/06\/7791982096_94eff0e081_k-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/06\/7791982096_94eff0e081_k-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/06\/7791982096_94eff0e081_k-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/06\/7791982096_94eff0e081_k-1536x1151.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/06\/7791982096_94eff0e081_k.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>By Kevin Neagle on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/kevneagle\/7791982096\/in\/photolist-cSxWNU-eNuGG5-8uQ3bD-8uQ5Y6-qoNmh-dfiaoj-8uQ7MD-qoNkb-ErgGsh-FecLz-qoNjM-qoNkx-qoNmY-qoNo8-8udqPY-FecLF-bPgwzR-9HeWPK-eNihCD-9HeWs2-FecLn-8ua8wi-8ua7Pp-FiEP5-FiEP7-FevmK-8uakPB-8udnYY-8ua9hR-dwSC15-xyYp8u-Fevx4-FevSB-eNiiWV-2mVQrT3-FeHfS-8ua6YP-eNihrn-F5QKF-FecLT-F63St-F63Se-F5Q5m-4LCied-48riGk-6gGCrP-F5Q1A-F5QH8-ci1rss-FeuEu\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Flickr<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Under Creative Commons License <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nd\/2.0\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CC BY-ND 2.0<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Doncaster Rovers have completed the signing of Deji Sotona on a two-year deal. The 20-year-old featured as a trialist in a recent friendly win over Boston United, impressing and earning himself a contract with the League Two side. Sotona is the ninth summer signing for manager Grant McCann, who was appointed in May and will [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3469,"featured_media":624301,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[32,34,28],"tags":[5169,294],"class_list":["post-625159","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-league-football","category-league12","category-transfers","tag-ayodeji-sotona","tag-doncaster-rovers"],"modified_by":"Jordan Hackett, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/625159","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3469"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=625159"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/625159\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/624301"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=625159"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=625159"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=625159"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}