BRADFORD City have just announced that experienced midfielder Jacob Butterfield has signed on loan for the rest of the season from Derby County.

But what will the Bradford-born 28-year-old bring to the Bantams and how can he help City's fight against relegation?

First off, a bit of history to see how Butterfield got to where he is now...

The midfielder began his youth career at Manchester United, before moving onto Barnsley where he made his professional debut aged 17 in the League Cup in 2007.

Barnsley is where Butterfield made most of his 300-plus career appearances, racking up a total of 101 games, bagging eight goals and 14 assists.

He then joined Norwich for the 2012/13 season, when they were in the Premier League, but only made a handful of appearances for them and was shipped out on loan to Bolton and then Crystal Palace.

The following season, Butterfield moved to Middlesbrough in the Championship where his career began to pick back up.

He was on the move again though before the 2014/15 season when he transferred to Huddersfield - also in the Championship at the time.

There he made 46 appearances, scoring six and bagging seven assists.

But, after a few games at the start of 2015/16, Butterfield was off again, this time to his most recent employers, Derby County.

His first two seasons there were relatively fruitful, making over 40 appearances in each campaign.

But at the start of the 2017/18 season, Butterfield was loaned out to Sheffield Wednesday and on his return to Derby this season, he has not spent a single minute on the pitch.

Butterfield's history highlights a player who is well experienced, particularly in the Championship, which could prove vital for City's run-in.

The new signing also captained Barnsley for the first time at the tender age of 21, indicating a level of maturity beyond his years, and the Bantams could do with another leader on the pitch.

Twenty-six goals and 29 assists across his career in the Championship isn't to be sniffed at, highlighting Butterfield is equally as strong at creating as he is finishing off moves.

In the past, Butterfield has spoken out about his preference for playing in a side that likes to get the ball down and play. This could see him link up well with the likes of Jack Payne and David Ball.

What do you think of the new signing?