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Shrewsbury Town have signed Sunderland midfielder Carl Winchester on a two-year contract.

He was released by the Black Cats after playing 43 games for Shrewsbury during a loan spell last season.

The 30-year-old is The Shrews' first signing of the summer - and first since Matt Taylor was confirmed as their new head coach on Monday.

"Technically, he is someone who always affects the game in a positive way," Taylor told the .

"And in my opinion, we can get Carl making a bigger impact in the final third."

He added: "Shrewsbury were fortunate to get him on loan last season and he was a player that stood out for me because of his energy, his physicality and his ability.

"He is a front-footed midfield player who I believe Shrewsbury fans haven't seen the best of yet so I'm really excited to work with him."

Winchester began his career at Oldham Athletic and also had spells at Cheltenham and Forest Green Rovers before joining Sunderland in January 2021.

Shrewsbury will start the new League One campaign with a home game against Cheltenham on 5 August after finishing 12th under Steve Cotterill last term.

Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.