Derby sign defender Pieters until end of season

Erik Pieters left West Bromwich Albion last summer after two years at The Hawthorns

Veteran Dutch defender Erik Pieters has signed a contract with Derby County until the end of the season.

The 36-year-old, who can play at left-back or in central defence, had been a free agent after his brief spell with Championship rivals Luton ended in January.

Pieters, a former Netherlands international with 18 caps, had been training alongside the Rams squad in recent weeks.

He has spent more than a decade in English football, having joined Stoke City from PSV Eindhoven in the summer of 2013.

Pieters went on to make more than 200 appearances for the Potters, the bulk of them in the Premier League, before moving to Burnley.

The defender spent three further years in the top flight with the Clarets followed by two seasons at West Brom and, despite signing a short-term deal at Luton in December, left Kenilworth Road without playing.