Northampton Town have signed defender Michael Forbes, who joins the Cobblers on loan from West Ham.

Forbes has joined Northampton on a season long-loan, with the deal seeing him become the Cobblers’ 12th new signing ahead of the upcoming season.

The defender has been capped by Northern Ireland at levels up to and including the senior national team level, earning his first cap for the team in 2023.

At club level, Forbes has represented West Ham in EFL Trophy games and made senior first team squads with the Hammers, while he also spent time out on loan last season with Bristol Rovers and Colchester United, although an injury impeded his ability to play for the latter.

Northampton manager Kevin Nolan is a former member of coaching staff at West Ham, and he told the official Northampton website that he was aware of Forbes’ talents and was pleased to bring him to Sixfields.

He said, “Michael is a player I have known for a long time. He was a youth team player at West Ham when I was there. I know what he is capable of and the levels he is capable of reaching.

“He had some really bad luck last season but he is back now and we feel we can provide the platform for Michael to develop and kick on. We believe we can help him reach the levels we know he is capable of and that includes playing international football again.

“We would like to thank West Ham United for trusting us with Michael. We are building a really good relationship and hopefully all parties can benefit from Michael’s time with us.

“We said earlier in the week we were looking to strengthen in all areas and Michael’s signing is part of that process.”