West Ham United have signed Canada defender Doneil Henry.

The 21-year-old centre-back arrives from Apollon Limassol on a long-term contract for an undisclosed fee.

Henry joined the Cypriot First Division side in October but returned to Toronto FC on loan and was recommended to Sam Allardyce by the MLS side's coach Ryan Nelsen.

"Ryan was my captain at Blackburn for a couple of years and he rang us and told us about Doneil," Allardyce told West Ham's website.

"He said this lad definitely has Premier League potential and he has everything he needs.

"With a little coaching from us and work in terms of how to defend in the Premier League, Ryan says he has all the attributes to be a good player.

"We have invested in him for the near future, so we do hope he can make some sort of appearance this season if he settles in and does as well as Ryan thinks he will. If not, we hope he is certainly one for the future."