SWINDON Town have signed Jake Cain on a two-and-a-half-year contract from Premier League side Liverpool.

The 21-year-old midfielder – who has arrived in Wiltshire for an undisclosed fee – becomes Town’s second January incoming following Charlie Austin’s return to SN1 a couple of weeks ago.

Cain is a self-labelled versatile midfielder who can score goals, has a good weight of pass, and is proficient at set-pieces.

In a story published by Adver Sport back in August, Town were supposedly interested in bringing Cain to the County Ground on a season-long loan.

The Liverpool Echo first reported that a variety of EFL clubs had made tentative approaches for the man who played 28 times on loan at Newport County last season, assisting two goals but without scoring. Cain came on as a late substitute in both Swindon victories last term.

Speaking to Town’s media team after completing his move, Cain said: “It’s a great feeling to be here, and I’m really looking forward to getting involved, playing good football, and winning games.

“This is a really promising team with a lot of talented young players who are hungry and ambitious, and I really want to be a part of that.

“I’ve come here for regular first-team football and to prove myself at this level, showing just how good I can be.”

The Wigan-born midfielder signed his first professional contract with Liverpool back in September 2019 and went on to make his senior debut under Jurgen Klopp in February 2020 during an FA Cup fourth-round replay against Shrewsbury Town.

In September 2020, Cain scored his first senior Liverpool goal courtesy of a powerful long-range free-kick against Tranmere Rovers in a 3-2 EFL Trophy defeat.

The 21-year-old was named on Liverpool’s bench 13 times in the Premier League and trained regularly with Klopp’s side but was left out of a pre-season tour to the Far East last summer.

Cain admitted he was “disappointed” over the decision and wanted to experience more first-team football this season in a bid to develop his career further.

After captaining the Merseyside club’s youngsters twice in the EFL Trophy this term, Cain scored three goals and provided one assist in Premier League Two – the academy league for top-flight clubs – prior to his Town switch.

Town technical director, Sandro Di Michele, said: “I’m incredibly excited about the signing of Jake.

“He’s been with Liverpool from a young age and spent a lot of time in and around their first-team, and also had a productive loan spell in League Two.

“He’s a really talented footballer who is well suited to our style. He possesses great vision and has an eye for a pass and is another young prospect that will get Town fans excited as we continue our push for promotion this season.”