New boy Luke Mbete relishing the League One challenge with Cobblers after Man City loan

Town’s 10th summer signing, the 20-year-old looks to be the final piece of Jon Brady’s defensive jigsaw.

He joins on a season-long loan from Manchester City and brings balance and versatility to the back-line, providing Brady with the option of switching between systems if and when he sees fit.

Mbete could have gone pretty much anywhere given his pedigree but there was a reason he chose Sixfields.

"A lot of it came down to the conversations I had with the manager,” explained the young centre-half. “He gave me good insight into how the club is run and how the team plays and hearing what he had to say was the main reason for wanting to come here.

"I've had a good pre-season with City so I feel good and I feel fresh and I’m now ready to push on and play as many games as I can this season – that’s the goal.”

Cobblers fans won’t know much about Mbete but any player who comes through City’s youth system and is then given a three-year contract by Pep Guardiola must have something about them.

But it’s fair to say his loan spells with Huddersfield and Bolton, when he was still a teenager, came with mixed reviews, before he spent last season with Dutch club Den Bosch.

"I've already had a few loans,” said Mbete. “My first one was at Huddersfield and then I went to Bolton and I spent last season at Den Bosch in Holland and that was a very good experience for me.

"I learned a lot as a person and a player. It was out of my comfort zone, going to a different country, but experiencing a different culture is important and I learned the language a little bit so it helped me improve.”

Brady has been chasing a left-sided defender all season and Mbete fits the bill, particularly given his ability to play left-back if required, as he did during an encouraging debut performance on Tuesday.

"I'm excited for the challenge and I think it's important to be versatile,” added the England Under-21 international. “Wherever the manager sees me fitting in, I'm willing to play there.

"The most important thing for me is just to play as many games as I can and enjoy my football and continue to develop so it would be good to get involved as soon as possible.

"I know this league is really strong and very competitive but it’s good to experience different ways of playing because that’ll benefit me in the long-term and I feel ready and I'm looking forward to testing myself.”