da bet7： Stockport County – rivals of Wrexham – have signed MLS defender Ethan Bristow on loan from Minnesota United on Thursday.

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Stockport sign MLS defenderEthan Bristow joins on loan from MNUFCWrexham trail rivals by four-points in tableWHAT HAPPENED?

The League Two side and the Loons announced a six-month loan for the 22-year-old full-back, who will return to England following a summer transfer to Philadelphia from Tranmere Rovers. The move comes following a season-ending injury to Stockport full-back Ryan Rydel and the imminent loss of Ibou Touray to the Africa Cup of Nations, while it opens up an international roster spot for the Loons.

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Stockport manager Dave Challinor said: “We’re delighted to be able to secure bringing Ethan to the club; there are so many positives to the move from our perspective. We were obviously in a situation where we needed to immediately replace Ibby for the period he will miss due to the African Cup of Nations and it’s a position where we had no real depth with Ryan Rydel being out for the season with his ACL injury.

“Ethan not only fits the profile of what we want for that position, but he can also begin training with us now in order to get him integrated and up to speed as soon as possible. He’s not played for a little while so that will be important, and we’ve got nearly three weeks to do that.

“The other huge positive is that we bring in a player with recent League Two experience from his time last season at Tranmere. He was a real hit there and had a big impact on their team with his performances down that left hand side. We’ve had nothing but positive reports from the people I know there about his character and ambition to improve. We are already enjoying working with him and looking forward to his performances in a County shirt.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Stockport hold a four-point lead over second place Wrexham as we near the end of the calendar year. With the addition of Bristow, who played 12 matches in MLS in 2023, they bolster their defence in their attempt to secure promotion at the end of the campaign. Wrexham, meanwhile, have yet to make a splash in the January transfer market.

USA Today Sports WHAT NEXT FOR BRISTOW AND STOCKPORT

The League Two side are back in action Saturday against 10th place Bradford. Bristow won't be available for selection until his international certificate arrives, but once it does, expect him to make a push for a place in the starting XI.