Exeter sign Irish midfielder Doyle-Hayes

Jake Doyle-Hayes came through Aston Villa's academy

Exeter City have signed Irish midfielder Jake Doyle-Hayes from League of Ireland side Sligo Rovers.

The 26-year-old, who came through Aston Villa's academy, has joined the club for an undisclosed fee.

He links up with City boss Gary Caldwell, who with the midfielder when he was assistant manager at Hibernian.

"He was excellent in our time there, a really competitive, aggressive midfield player," Caldwell told BBC Radio Devon.

"He can play as an eight or a six, he's somebody with a real quality in possession as well, technically very good, physically very good."

Having begun his career in England at at Aston Villa's academy - where he made three EFL Cup appearances - Doyle-Hayes had loan spells at Cambridge United and Cheltenham Town before joining St Mirren in November 2020.

He played 30 games for St Mirren in all competitions before joining Hibernian in the summer of 2021.

He went on the play 70 games for Hibs before leaving by mutual consent in January after an injury-hit time at Easter Road and returned to his homeland with Sligo Rovers.

In May, it was announced that Doyle-Hayes would be pursing legal action against his former club after a tackle by a previous manager in 2022 left him with long-term injuries.

Lawyers for the player said the midfielder's career had been "greatly restricted" by the ankle issue that followed from the incident.

"He's someone every window I've really kind of spoke to his agent and inquired about," added Caldwell.

"He's been at Hibs, he's had an injury and he spent the last period of his career in Ireland purely to get minutes after a bad ankle injury and he's been playing week in week out over in the League of Ireland so he comes in very fit and ready to play.

"But not only that I think longer term he has real potential to be a top player for the club."