Pools have completed the signing of French defender Julian Cherel after a successful trial spell at Victoria Park.

Born in Caen located in north western France, the 26-year-old arrived at The Vic earlier this month after spending time on trial with Altrincham.

He quickly caught the eye of Director of Sport Chris Turner in training and earned a deal with the Club after impressing the Pools management team with solid performances in Reserve Team wins over Grimsby Town and Bradford City.

The giant defender was a spectator at the Reserves most recent win over Middlesbrough at Victoria Park on Wednesday night due to regulations that mean international trialists can feature in only two games in any 28-day period.

However, Turner was keen to bring the Frenchman onboard, especially given the absence of Ben Clark who continues to recover from a groin operation and is sidelined for at least another five weeks.

Cherel has been handed squad number 27 and will go straight in to contention for this weekend's League One clash with Walsall at Victoria Park.