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Double signing by Shrews

Image: Barnes: Exciting winger

Shrewsbury manager Paul Simpson has brought in new signings Michael Barnes and Martin Riley.

New boss brings in a defender and a winger

Shrewsbury manager Paul Simpson has brought in new signings Michael Barnes and Martin Riley. The duo are joining a side which has failed to win any of their last 12 League Two matches and have slipped into a relegation battle as a result. On the back of their recent woeful run, the club parted company with Gary Peters at the beginning of March and replaced him with former Preston and Carlisle boss Simpson. Keen to bring his own players into the squad, the new boss has been quick to act and is delighted to have snapped up teenage winger Barnes from Premier League leaders Manchester United.

Exciting

"I was aware of Michael Barnes at Man United and I believe he has been told that he won't be retained at United at the end of the season," Simpson told Shrewsbury's official website. "It was something I was going to assess between now and the end of the season by watching him in the reserves but the opportunity has arisen to get him in here. "I've signed him on loan until the end of the season and if he is what we are looking for then we will look to try and do something in the summer. "He is an exciting player and has got great pace about him which I think we are lacking a bit."
Promising
Centre-back Riley has been training with the Shrews for the past month and has featured for their reserves on a number of occasions. He had graduated through the academy ranks at Championship side Wolves, but was recently allowed to leave Molineux in order to pick up valuable first team experience. "I've only seen him play in one reserve game and seen him training over the couple of weeks I've been here," admitted Simpson. "But I've seen enough that tells me that I want to keep an eye on him and take a closer look so we have signed him on non contract forms until the end of the season. "That gives me another few weeks to look at him and decide if he's going to be right for the football club."

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