THE SADDLERS have received a belated Christmas present with the news that Clayton McDonald has signed an 18-month deal following his release by Premier League, Manchester City.

The giant central defender first arrived at the Banks's Stadium on loan in September and impressed greatly during eight outings where he emerged as a powerful and no-nonsense performer.

The 21 year-old, who is the son of former Walsall front-man, Rod McDonald, progressed well whilst coming through the ranks at City and went on to skipper their reserve team before seeing his path to the first-team blocked by a glut of big-money signings.

He has previously served Macclesfield Town and Chesterfield on loan earlier in his career. "We are delighted to have secured Clayton's services on a permanent basis," said manager, Chris Hutchings. "He settled into the club extremely well during his loan spell and is an emerging player of undoubted talent and ability.

"He has been given an excellent grounding in the game at Manchester City and we will reap the benefits as he continues his development here at Walsall. This is a good signing for the club."

McDonald will be available for selection as we face our first game of 2010 against Charlton Athletic on Saturday.