David Artell says that the experienced defender Nicky Hunt would be a terrific signing for the club because he would offer something different from a full-back position. The Alex boss believes that a deal is close to make Hunt his fourth signing of the summer after previously bringing in Paul Green, Shaun Miller and Alex Nicholls.

Hunt, 34, has almost 400 career appearances under his belt and has played at the top level for Bolton Wanderers.

Artell told the club’s official website: “I think we quickly realised that we were not going to find full-backs better than Perry and Harry, not for the money we can offer them anyway. They are very good players and it would be difficult to find better at our level.

“Nicky has been with us for a while and he offers something different. He has a good pedigree, is 6’ 2” or above and reads the game exceptionally well.

“Is he going to play 50 games? That is unlikely but he could be the man in certain games when the opposition start bombarding our box. If you need someone on there to head it out and be reliable then he could be the man.

“He could be really valuable in certain games and he is a steady influence. He would bring great experience and he can play both sides as well. He is the type that could help us but we’ll see if we can get it done.”