Jamaica international winger Rolando Aarons has rejoined Motherwell on loan from Huddersfield.
The 26-year-old previously played eight games for Well on loan from Newcastle in early 2020 before the pandemic cut short his spell.
Aarons moved from Tyneside to Huddersfield in January 2021 but has only played 12 times since, including just once last season during an injury-hit campaign.
Motherwell manager Steven Hammell told the club’s official website: “Rolando is a target I had earmarked even before I got the job as I saw first hand his qualities and potential when he was last here.
“When I spoke with him, you could tell he was very keen to join us. He’s a player with so much to offer. He has pace, he’s direct with a lot of energy and will give us more options on either the left or right flank.
“He’s had a frustrating time with injuries in the last year or so and just needs to get back playing regularly again. We think Motherwell is the perfect platform for him to do that.”
Aarons, who scored four goals in 27 games for Newcastle, joins ahead of Wednesday’s Premier Sports Cup second-round clash with Inverness at Fir Park.
Another winger looking to make his debut is Stuart McKinstry, who is yet to feature since his loan return from Leeds.
Hammell said: “Stuart felt his hamstring last week. We had a bounce game, he played an hour, looked good, looks to be in a good place, but felt his hamstring after that game.
“He would have been a good option for us against Kilmarnock. He is someone we have big plans for this season.”
Well went down 2-1 at Rugby Park after opening the scoring through Kevin van Veen, but Hammell has been encouraged by the response of his players following his first defeat since being confirmed as permanent manager.
“We have broken it down and watched a lot of it back, what we did well and what we didn’t do well, when we kind of reverted back to what we were doing before,” he said. “It’s a process, we are learning and trying to improve constantly.
“We went into a lot of detail about the Kilmarnock game and what we could do better. The players agreed with what we were saying and they got involved and we got a lot of good feedback.
“They’ve got a big part to play in that. It’s not a case of ‘this is the way we are playing, you do it and that’s it’. We need to get the buy-in from them, which we have.”
Meanwhile, Motherwell have received a fine of about £2,500 from UEFA for the “throwing of objects” after an assistant referee reported being targeted with a plastic bottle during the Steelmen’s home defeat by Sligo Rovers in the Europa Conference League.
The Lanarkshire were also hit with a fine of about £1,700 after fans let off fireworks in the second leg in Ireland.
