Former Lincoln City midfielder Danny Mandroiu has joined Shamrock Rovers on short-term deal - with the Dublin club seeing off interest from Blackpool.

The 27-year-old previously spent time with the Hoops prior to his move to the LNER Stadium, scoring 22 goals and providing 11 assists in 62 outings for the 21-time League of Ireland champions.

Mandroiu departed Lincoln as a free agent earlier this summer following the conclusion of his contract with the Imps, and had been in talks with Blackpool over a potential move to Bloomfield Road.

Instead, the former Republic of Ireland youth international has opted to make a return to the Tallaght Stadium, and could be in contention for Rovers’ UEFA Europa League play-off tie away to PAOK in Greece this week.

Explaining how the League of Ireland club fended off interest from the Seasiders, Shamrock boss Stephen Bradley told the club website: “Danny had other options in England, I knew that as we kept in touch, met and had good chats in the last number of months.

“Danny was taking his time, and making the right decision for him and his life right now.

“I wanted him to know, if he was coming home that I wanted him at Rovers, and thankfully Danny felt that way also.

“He has a connection with the club and the fans, a connection with the players and the group. He knows how we work and what we do, so it’s great to have him back in.”

Meanwhile, Mandroiu has also cited his own reasons for wanting to return to Shamrock Rovers.

“It’s great to be back at Rovers for the next five months, I would like to thank Stephen Bradley, CEO John Martin and the board of the club,” he said.

“Playing in the group stages of a UEFA competition appeals massively to me. It is something that very few professional footballers get to experience during their career, and to do it with my great team mates at Rovers in front of such unbelievable fans is going to be special.

“There’s Europe and a League title to be played for and, hopefully, a new international manager to try to impress.”