England spinner Monty Panesar is looking forward to reviving his career at the county where it all started after being included in Northamptonshire's squad for the new season.
The 33-year-old spinner was released by Essex at the end of last season after struggling for form, later revealing an inability to settle due to mental health issues had been the cause of his cricketing downfall.
However, he has spent the winter recovering from shoulder surgery with the help of Northants' physio and has secured independent financial support to cover his wages in order to play at the County Ground, where he spent eight years between 2001 and 2009 before leaving for Sussex.
Head coach David Ripley has been impressed with Panesar's attitude since he started training with the county and is hopeful he will have an impact this season.
"He's been training with us since January and put a good shift in, working hard with our strength and conditioning team," he told Sky Sports News HQ.
"The goal was to get to this stage and we've been taking our time, but the good news is that Monty is well, he's got a sparkle in his eye and we will see where we go from here in terms of how much cricket he will play."
Panesar played 50 Tests for England after making his debut against India in 2006 - taking 167 wickets at an average of 34.17 - but he has not featured in the England side since the 5-0 whitewash in Australia in 2013/14.
He is thrilled to be back at the County Ground, adding: "Getting a chance to play at Northants, where I first started to play my cricket, it's nice to be back home.
"I'm really looking forward to it. I've done a lot of hard work and in the next few weeks I think I'll be ready to go."