Lincoln sign ex-Forest and Wigan defender Darikwa

Tendayi Darikwa moved to Cyprus to continue his career after being released by Wigan in the summer of 2023

Former Nottingham Forest and Wigan Athletic defender Tendayi Darikwa has joined Lincoln City on a one-year deal.

The 32-year-old returns to the English game as a free agent after a season in the Cyprus top flight with Apollon Limassol.

Darikwa, who started out at Chesterfield and went on to be part of the Burnley side that earned promotion to the Premier League in 2016, has a further 12-month option on his Imps contract.

The last time the Zimbabwe international featured in England's third tier, he captained Wigan to promotion as League One title winners in 2022.

"The ambition of the football club stood out to me," Darikwa told the Lincoln City website.

"The club was so close to getting in the play-offs last season, and I feel we can build on that."

The Imps missed out on a play-off spot in League One on the final day last season, finishing one place and two points short of a top-six spot after being beaten by title winners Portsmouth.

Lincoln boss Michael Skubala said Darikwa's will be "a real addition" to the squad and expects him to be "a massive influence".

"In Tendayi we have identified and recruited someone with different strengths but still the physical attributes a Lincoln City right wing-back requires," he said.