Sheffield Wednesday caretaker boss Lee Bullen believes new signing David Bates will add more quality and experience to the Owls' defence this season.

The 22-year-old completed his move to Hillsborough on transfer deadline day, joining on a season-long loan from German side Hamburg.

The centre-back started his career at hometown club Raith Rovers and moved to Rangers on a permanent deal in January 2017 after a successful loan spell, having previously spent time on loan at East Stirling and Brechin.

Bates moved to Hamburg on a four-year deal in 2018 and made 28 appearances last season as they just missed out on promotion to the Bundesliga.

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Bullen has admitted that he is impressed with the amount of experience that Bates has at such a young age and is confident that he will add more quality to the Sheffield Wednesday defence this season.

"We needed more defensive cover at centre-back so bringing in a 22-year-old with the experience David has got is fantastic from our point of view," Bullen told the Sheffield Star.

"He is a very good age, a good size and is used to the physical side of things having played in the Scottish Premier League.

"When you have played for a club the size of Rangers, you are always a target. You are always a team that everybody wants to beat so he will have had to handle that pressure as a young player.

"He has done well on occasions and done well enough to get himself involved in the Scotland national team as well. For me, to bring in someone of that age and with the hunger to get involved in the Championship down here is great."

Sheffield Wednesday finished 12th in the Championship table last season, ten points outside the play-offs.

The Owls will be hoping to challenge for promotion this campaign, but are currently searching for a permanent manager after Steve Bruce controversially left the club to take charge of Newcaslte United last month.

Bullen is in his third spell in caretaker charge at Hillsborough and is one of the favourites to take the job on a permanent basis, after guiding the Owls to back-to-back wins from their opening two games in the Championship this season.

The Verdict

This could be a great signing for Sheffield Wednesday. Bates is a solid defender and a big psychical presence on the pitch. He should add more quality and depth to the Owls' defence.

He's got an impressive amount of experience for such a young age and he should be able to adapt fairly quickly to the physical demands of the Championship.

He will be used to playing in front of a big crowd from his time at Rangers and Hamburg, and the defender will be hoping to become a fans' favourite at Hillsborough this season.