Ex-Carlisle United star Jordan Gibson joins Doncaster Rovers

The attacking midfielder has signed for Doncaster Rovers on a two-year deal.

It follows his released by the Blues at the end of the 2023/24 season.

The 26-year-old, whose deal with Donny has the option of a further year, has secured his future a month after leaving the Cumbrians, where he was top scorer last season.

“It’s been in the works for a while,” said Gibson, speaking on Doncaster's website.

“I’m really looking forward to getting started.

“I had positive chats with the manager and it’s a club with real potential with the project and the plans that he has got in place.

“The run the club went on towards the end of last season made everyone pay attention. It’s a good club with a good manager and I’m hoping we can do good things.”

Doncaster were losing play-off semi-finalists in League Two last season after an impressive run of form in the second half of the campaign.

Gibson joins Doncaster after three years at Carlisle (Image: Ben Holmes)

Their manager Grant McCann said: “I think he [Gibson] will excite the fans. He’s very direct, wants to get at people, can score, can set goals up.

“He’s got a swagger about him, which I like and an air of confidence. I think he’s a very good signing for us.”

Gibson was with United from 2021 to 2024 after joining from Sligo Rovers.

In that time the ex-Bradford City man made 143 appearances and scored 20 goals for the Brunton Park club.

His first campaign saw Gibson play a key part in United's fight for League Two survival, a battle eventually won under Paul Simpson after the earlier stages of the campaign were spent under Chris Beech then Keith Millen.

The 2022/23 season then saw Gibson part of the side that won promotion through the play-offs.

Last season saw the midfielder get off to an impressive start, firing a memorable hat-trick at Bolton Wanderers and winning the PFA fans' player of the month award for League One for October.

But he drifted out of favour after the turn of the year as United slumped to relegation. The season also ended with Gibson involved in an Easter night out with two other players, which saw him disciplined by the Blues.

He was released at the end of the campaign when Simpson said: “If you look through Jordan Gibson's career, I'm the one who's played him more games than anybody else.

“And when he's on his game – yes, he was good.

“I made a decision because of what's happened probably over two seasons.

“I'll be really honest with you, last season when we took out his option, I was advised by the other staff that we should let him go, but I felt as though I wanted to work with him, I wanted to give him a chance.

“Early on in the season he showed us what he's about, but ultimately we just felt it was time for Jordan Gibson to move on and to try and progress his career somewhere else.”

Gibson, after his release, issued a social media statement where he stressed that his commitment to United had never wavered despite some "challenging times" in his life.

The date for Gibson's Brunton Park reunion next season will be known on June 26 when the 2024/25 League Two fixtures are released.