New signing Donacien will play anywhere along the back-line for Cobblers
Cobblers new boy Janoi Donacien says he is happy to play anywhere along the back-line following confirmation of his move to Sixfields.
The experienced defender, a Saint Lucian international who signed a one-year deal with Northampton on Friday, primarily played at full-back in his early years but he’s moved more centrally in recent times.
"It (full-back) is a role I’ve been used to for my entire career to be honest,” said Donacien. “I’ve played on the right side and in the last few years I’ve played more in the centre but I also have experience on the left side. Wherever the manager wants me, it won’t a problem for me.”
Donacien has close ties with Cobblers boss Chris Hogg following their time together at Ipswich Town.
"The move all came out from speaking to the manager,” he explained. “He phoned early to try and get me in and we got it sorted. I’ve known the manager for a while and I’ve also played against many of his teams. He’s a very experienced coach and I know the way he likes to play.
"I believe in the philosophy that he wants and I’ll try to approach every day the right way – be professional and conduct myself properly on and off the pitch. I’m looking forward to it.”
The 32-year-old was straight in for pre-season testing with his new team-mates at the University of Northampton on Friday.
"The heat is unbearable right now but I’m just glad to get in and get started and do some running,” he added. “I was getting bored sitting at home! We’ve done some work today and it’s nice to get this week out of the way and now we can focus on the football.
"There’s a couple of faces here that I know and have played against. I played a bit with Harv (Saunders) at Fleetwood so it was good to see him. I’ve also played at Sixfields before but it wasn’t a good time! But the club is moving in the right direction and the manager spoke a lot about the fact we’ve got good people here and you can tell that.”