Striker Danny Crow has signed for Cambridge United.

The 22-year-old former Norwich City and Peterborough United striker agreed terms on a deal to May 2010 and passed a medical today before completing a free transfer that he hopes will relaunch his career.

"Danny is someone I've watched over the years and he's someone Paul played with at Peterborough when he first came onto the scene, and he was hot property at the time," commented delighted U's boss Gary Brabin.

"A lot of big clubs were interested in him then but for one reason or another he's fallen by the wayside for the last 12-18 months. He was unlucky with injuries and I don't think he got on with the new management at Peterborough, and he's been frozen out a bit.

"He's still only 22 and we know the ability he's got, and he's at that stage in his life now where he knows he needs to be playing football again," explained Brabin.

"A lot of clubs have shown interest in him, including league clubs, but me and Paul have spoken to him about the importance of going to the right club. It needs to be somewhere he enjoys getting up every morning and going in training every day and working hard, and he watched us on Saturday and he realised that this is the club for him."

Describing his new signing, Brabin believes Crow will complement a strike force that already has the strength of Lee McEvilly, the guile of Mark Beesley, and the pace and youth of Chris Holroyd and Robbie Willmott.

"He's got a great touch, he holds things up and he's a goalscorer. He's a quality player and I think he'll be the perfect foil for our other strikers. I like competition for places up front and we've got some great attacking options, and Danny will come in and give us another option.

"He's definitely a goalscorer and he saw us play on Saturday and liked what he saw and the way we played and he knows what he has to do to get into the side. I'm delighted with my forwards at the moment and I think it's healthy to have competition for places all over the park, but especially with the forwards.

"Lee and Mark have been playing well and scoring goals and Danny knows he has to get to his best before he starts putting pressure on them."

Having come through the youth ranks at Norwich and made his first team debut in December 2004 at the age of 18, the future looked bright for Danny. He went on to make three league and one FA Cup appearance for the Canaries that season, all from the bench, and also enjoyed a loan spell at Northampton Town where he scored twice in four starts and six sub appearances.

Surprisingly not offered a new contract at the end of the season, Danny joined Peterborough in July 2005 and was the club's top scorer that season with 16 goals in League Two, playing in the same side as Paul Carden during the midfielder's one season at London Road.

Having attracted interest from Watford and former club Norwich, Danny started the following season in similar form, with five league goals and three in the FA Cup by Christmas, but fell out of favour under new manager Darren Ferguson, who was appointed in January 2007. He was restricted to just four more starting appearances, yielding just one more league goal, and in May 2007 he was transfer-listed.

Last season he scored two goals in four league games before joining Notts County on loan in October with a view to a permanent transfer, but injured his foot on his debut and had to return to Peterborough. In February 2008 he was back on loan with Notts County and scored on his second debut, but only managed one further goal in 14 appearances for the underachieving Magpies, who included new U's winger Andy Parkinson.

At the end of the season, following Peterborough's promotion to League One, he was told he was not required and a number of Football League clubs were said to be interested, but he remained on Posh's books until his contract was terminated by mutual consent on transfer deadline day, allowing him to join another club on a free transfer.

Although he stated his reluctance earlier in the summer to drop out of the Football League, Crow has stayed in touch with Paul Carden and after watching United's stylish win against Wrexham on Saturday he agreed terms on a move.

The Great Yarmouth-born striker has been allocated squad number 28.

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