Rising Welsh star Denham joins Cardiff

CARDIFF City have moved to sign young Welsh defender Oliver Denham from Manchester United.

The centre-back, who can also play on the right-hand side of defence, had been taken on trial by the Bluebirds during pre-season as the club tried to fill the void following a number of departures.

The 18-year-old was meant to be let go by the Old Trafford club this summer, but when coronavirus hit they offered him an extension up until December.

But that will now not be the case, with Denham yesterday having been pictured alongside City chief executive Ken Choo signing his first agreement with the Welsh capital city club.

It is understood that Denham, for now, is not being considered as a serious challenger for first-team spots at Cardiff.

However, City boss Neil Harris is keen on creating a pathway for academy prospects to graduate into the first team, which will certainly offer hope to Denham.

Ciaron Brown was recently sent on loan to Livingston, his third stint there, because the club believed he would have no first-team game time in the Welsh capital with four senior defenders currently ahead of him in the pecking order.

That will now likely be the case with Denham, too.

The Western Mail has been told that Steve Morison and Tom Ramasut, the under-23s coaches, were impressed with how the player trained and performed during his short time with the club.

The under-23s have played Connah’s Quay Nomads, Barry Town United, Bristol Rovers, Cardiff Met Uni, Merthyr and Penybont so far in their pre-season fixtures and Denham has played some part and has pleased the coaches.

When it came to deciding whether the Wales youth international would be taken on, that fell into the hands of Morison, Ramasut and academy head James McCarthy.