Darren O’Dea has signed a one month deal with Blackpool.
The former Celtic defender has been out of football since quitting Ukraine after civil unrest made it impossible to continue playing at Metalurh Donetsk.
O’Dea had been training with Celtic and now has a chance to earn himself a permanent deal or put himself in the shop window.
“I had a tough year in Ukraine, so I’m delighted to be at a good football club with good people, and I’m looking forward to getting started,” he told the Blackpool website. “I was desperate to play football again and I’m looking to now help the team.”
The deal is until January 4 and is subject to international clearance.
Blackpool have won only one league game this season and are sitting at the bottom of the table ten points adrift of fourth bottom Rotherham.
Manager Lee Clarke, who is assisted by former Celt Alan Thompson, will be desperate to take something from Saturday’s match when Blackpool host his former club Birmingham City.
O’Dea made the big breakthrough at Celtic during the 2006/07 season most notably starring in both legs of the Champions League last 16 matches against AC Milan.
Despite those appearances he was never able to win a regular place under Gordon Strachan and went out on loan to Reading, Ipswich and Leeds United.
In 2009 he scored the opening goal in Celtic’s 2-0 League Cup Final win over Rangers (IL).
In the 2009/10 season he captained Celtic on a couple of occasions before making his final hoops appearance against a League of Ireland XI at the Aviva Stadium in 2011.