West Ham announce signing of Canadian defender Doneil Henry

West Ham have added some depth to their backline in their first completed move of the winter transfer window.

Henry, a centre-back from Brampton, Ont., became the first graduate of Toronto FC Academy to sign a professional contract with Toronto FC, doing so when he was only 17 years old in 2010. 

He went on to make 92 first-team appearances for his hometown club, including 25 while on loan from Cypriot side Apollon Limassol in 2014. 

The fact Henry had been playing on loan throughout the year was unknown to supporters of Toronto and sparked further controversy surrounding the club's operations.

"It feels good to be given the opportunity to come and train and see what it's like to be part of a Premier League team and I just want to get started and get into the team real soon," said Henry of signing with West Ham. 

"I had a really good relationship with (former TFC coach) Ryan Nelsen and I always wanted to see what it was like to play at another level, the highest level, and I got the opportunity to come over here. Since then, I was just hoping to come back and now it's happened, I want it to continue on and keep playing.

"I started with the Toronto FC Academy when I was 16 and signed for the first-team when I was 17 and now I just want to continue to develop and keep growing as a player. I'm 21 and I want to get a role with the team, keep my head down and take my opportunity when I can.

"I love a tackle and I just want to defend hard. I take pride in my clean sheets with the backline and with the 'keeper, so if we can just do that, it's job completed."

It also appears that West Ham don't know all that much about Henry as they've hilariously called on their Canadian supporters to provide them with some details about their new signing.