Connor Wickham: Former Crystal Palace and Sunderland forward joins Forest Green

Wickham played 15 times for MK Dons last season but only started two matches for the club

Forest Green Rovers have signed former Crystal Palace and Sunderland striker Connor Wickham on a short-term deal.

The 29-year-old, who was released by MK Dons at the end of last season, had signed until the end of January.

After joining the Dons in January from Preston North End he scored once but started just two league matches for the League One club.

Wickham left Palace in 2021 after six years with the Premier League side, but injuries meant he played just 41 times.

"I think he really is keen to get back on track and play football and build his fitness up," Forest Green head coach Ian Burchnall told BBC Radio Gloucestershire.

"We know what the upside is if we can get him to his top level - that we have a player that's above this level. He's still young and with all that in mind it seemed like a smart move to try and bring somebody in, especially as we know with Matty Stevens down we're a little bit short at the top end of the pitch."

Wickham began his career with Ipswich Town and moved to Sunderland in 2011 for a fee of £8.1m, scoring 15 goals in 91 appearances during which time he also went to Sheffield Wednesday on loan.

He signed for Palace four years later, for an initial fee reported to be £7m, but was limited by injuries during his time at Selhurst Park.

The forward missed all of the 2017-18 season with a cruciate ligament injury and did not feature at all during the 2020-21 season.

"I think we've done our due diligence, he's fit," Burchnall said.

"He's done a preseason at Reading, he's played several games there. He's come through them and it's just about managing him and making sure that we understand him as an individual first.

"If we can do that, hopefully we can build him up and get the minutes out of him that we need."

Burchnall insisted that Wickham has plenty to offer the club, who beat Bristol Rovers on the opening day of their debut season in League One.

However, while Wickham has been in and completed training it might be a few weeks before he features on the pitch.

"Connor's not 35 hoping to tail end his career with a contract. He's 29 and he wants to still kick on and still achieve something in the game and I think that's the hunger that he needs. He's a long way off being finished as a football player, 29-years-old and he's got a long way still to go," Burchnall said.

"For him it's all about getting back on track, playing consistently, performing consistently at the level he knows he's capable of.

"It shouldn't be long before we can introduce him into games and start that process."