ANTHONY O'Connor is looking forward to the battle for a place at the heart of City's defence this season.

His arrival from Aberdeen followed hot on the heels of fellow centre half Thomas Isherwood from Bayern Munich.

It means City currently look spoilt for choice in that position with last season's player of the year Matt Kilgallon, Nat Knight-Percival and Ryan McGowan also on the books.

It remains to be seen whether the club looks to offload anyone but O'Connor, who is right-footed, believes the fight for places should bode well.

He said: "Competition drives you on – as a team and as a club you have to have that competition otherwise you wouldn’t achieve anything. You’ve got to have someone behind you trying to take your shirt.

"I’m coming here backing myself and I know I am capable of playing 40-50 games but the other lads will be feeling the same way.

"I’m a new signing coming into the club, a fresh face and hopefully I can give the team a boost and hopefully play as many games as I can."

The 25-year-old is hoping to repeat the achievement he enjoyed with Burton when they won promotion in 2015-16 from League One.

Having been crowned League Two champions the previous season, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and then Nigel Clough led the Brewers to a surprise second triumph on a small budget.

O'Connor, who also featured against City in the 2013 League Two play-off semi-finals in the first of two spells with Albion, said: "Burton weren’t necessarily the most talented team but we were a team who worked really hard for each other and were a good bunch of lads.

"When they went up to the Championship they then managed to stay in the Championship which was probably a greater achievement than getting there.

"If we can instil that in the team here then we won’t be far off it. I don’t want to look too far ahead though."

Having made several appearances for the Republic of Ireland at age group level, including eight times for the under-21s, O'Connor is keen to boost his claims for a senior debut.

He said: "Getting into the Irish set-up is definitely something I want to achieve.

"Doing that comes off the back of playing well for your club, so that is what I am going to be concentrating on first and foremost.

"If I play to what I am capable of, hopefully the recognition will come."