Wally Downes has made his fourth addition of the January transfer window by bringing in Shane McLoughlin from Ipswich Town.

The 21-year-old has left the Championship club to sign for The Dons on a permanent basis and he could be in contention for Saturday’s League One match at Sunderland.

Downes said the resourceful player is one he has tracked for years.

“Shane is versatile and very sharp and accurate on the ball,” he said.

“He has great energy, a superb attitude, and he fits the age bracket we want. He is the type of player that we want here.

"Shane has been on my radar for ages. A couple of friends I know that used to play for Ipswich told me about him quite a while ago, so I kept my eye on him.

"We had looked to bring him to India with us when I was out there, but that didn’t happen, and he was doing well at Ipswich.

"I’ve been aware of him for quite a while. He is young and hungry to do well, which is what we want, and he has a great attitude."

Born in New York, Shane moved to Ireland when he was five, and he has since represented Ireland at under-16 and under-18 level. His impressive form at Irish club St Brendan's Park attracted interest from elsewhere and Ipswich signed him in 2013. Shane, who has had two spells on loan at National League side Bromley, has made two first-team appearances for Ipswich with his debut coming against Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup.

The 21-year-old midfielder knows Wimbledon well due to family connections and also played at Ipswich with fellow Irishman Dylan Connolly, who produced an impressive full debut against West Ham for The Dons.

“When I heard that Wimbledon were interested in me I really wanted to come here,” McLoughlin said.

“I have an uncle that supported Wimbledon when he was a kid and I have family here as well.

"I played with Dylan at Ipswich before he went back to Ireland. I seen that he came back to England and he ripped it up. He’s lightning quick.

“My agent gave me a call and said that I had a chance to come down for a few days of training to see if I could get a contract. After I spoke to the manager I had confidence that this place would be good for me and I hope that I will be good for the place as well.

“I just want to come here, get some games under my belt, and try to help the club out. I feel that I can help out and try to get us out of this position. The lads did well to try and kick-start our revival and I want to be a part of that.”

Shane is Wimbledon’s fourth signing in January with Dylan Connolly having joined earlier this month, along with loan signings Aaron Ramsdale and Steve Seddon.