Charlton Athletic confirm signing of former Hull City man from Cambridge United

The stopper was considered an exciting prospect when he joined Hull, making the move from AFC Wimbledon when the Tigers were a Premier League club in 2016.

A former England youth international, Mannion showed glimpses of promise in his four years at the MKM Stadium but failed to put himself in contention for the number one shirt.

A spell in Cyprus with Pafos followed before the 26-year-old returned to England with Cambridge. After three years with the U’s, Mannion is moving on and linking up with Nathan Jones at Charlton.

Jones said: “He’s an experienced goalkeeper. We’re looking to improve every department over the summer in what is a big recruitment window for us. We identified Will as a real good goalkeeper who has done fantastically well at Cambridge and he did well against us in the game that he played.

"He’s someone that’s a real good profile in terms of size, he’s on his way up, he’s really hungry and he wants to get to and play at a higher level. That’s what attracted us to him.

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“He’ll provide real good competition to those who we bring into that department and obviously he brings a real talent to it. We want to improve the department. We’re looking to bring in two goalkeepers to have a real competitive edge to them and two we believe can play at not just this level, but also can play at the level above.”

In a show of faith the goalkeeper, Charlton have handed him a three-year deal. The Addicks also have the option of extending Mannion’s stay by a further year.

The stopper said: “It feels great to be here. When the manager called me, it definitely perked my ears up. Collectively, the goal is to push for promotion. That was made clear when I spoke to the gaffer, and that’s something that drew me to the club, so I’m really looking forward to seeing what we can do this season.”