FORMER Premier League midfielder Isaiah Osbourne goes straight into Forest Green's squad for tonight's League Two clash with Swindon Town.

The former Aston Villa star has been a free agent since choosing to leave League One side Walsall at the end of last season.

The 29-year-old robust midfielder mpressed in a behind-closed-doors friendly with Newport County on Tuesday after a fortnight of training at Rovers' Stanley Park training base.

"I've settled in pretty well to be honest," said Osbourne, who has agreed a deal until the end of the season. "The boys have all been welcoming and it's been great so far.

"I've been here since last Monday and have eventually signed this week and I’m ready to go."

Osbourne, started his career at  Aston Villa, making his Premier League debut under Martin O'Neill back in October 2006 as a second-half substitute against Fulham before earning himself a three-and-a-half year contract.

He went on to make 19 appearances for Villa before moving on loan to Nottingham Forest in March 2009, becoming Billy Davies' first signing at the City Ground, before also enjoying a spell on loan at Middlesborough.

Finding minutes hard to come by, Osbourne, who vowed to fight for his place in the Villa team in the final year of his contract, was sent on loan to Sheffield Wednesday, but a change in manager also saw him miss out on valuable game time.

At the end of his contract Osbourne had a trial with Leeds United but opted for a two-year deal with Scottish Premier League outfit Hibernian, before then having a two year stint at Blackpool, followed by a three-month spell at Scunthorpe United.

Osbourne signed for Walsall in 2015 but a serious knee injury ruled him out of much of the 2015/16 campaign.

However, despite battling his way back to fitness to become a regular fixture for Jon Whitney's side, he felt the style of football didn't suit him and after an uncertain summer of being a free agent, is relishing the chance to play under Mark Cooper at FGR.