Joey Barton has labelled George Friend a “class act” with the veteran defender signing a one-year contract at Bristol Rovers following a brief trial period at the start of pre-season.
Friend becomes Rovers’ fourth summer signing after James Wilson, Luke Thomas and Jevani Brown and will add further experience, leadership and EFL nous to the Gas squad after an extensive 17-year playing career.
The 35-year-old was part of the group that reported back for pre-season training at The Quarters last Monday with Barton and his coaching staff wanting to assess his fitness after a 2022/23 campaign in which he made just six league appearances for Birmingham City in an unofficial player/coach capacity.
