Scunthorpe United have signed Tom Hopper on a free transfer after he was sacked by Leicester City earlier this month following his part in an orgy in which a woman was subject to alleged racist abuse.

Striker Hopper and team-mates Adam Smith and James Pearson - son of Leicester boss Nigel - all had their contracts terminated after the Sunday Mirror obtained footage that seemed to show the trio engaging in explicit acts during a post-season tour of Thailand.

A racist comment could be heard being made towards one of the women involved during the video.

The players apologised for their actions, but were later shown the door by Leicester.

Earlier on Friday, it was confirmed that goalkeeper Smith had joined Northampton Town and now striker Hopper will return to the club where he scored four goals in 12 appearances during a loan spell in the 2014-15 season.

A statement from Scunthorpe read: "The club would like to make it clear that we are fully aware of the recent publicity surrounding the young striker and have put a considerable amount of thought into the decision to sign him.

"However, Tom is a player that we are very much aware of, having signed him on loan last season, and we feel that we know his true character, which was not represented by this regrettable incident.

"While we fully understand the position taken by Leicester City in this matter and we do not condone Tom's actions, we have discussed the issue at length with the player and he has shown a great deal of remorse and a real willingness to rehabilitate himself.  The player accepts fully that his actions were unacceptable and takes full responsibility.

"We understand that youngsters can make mistakes, but we are a club who believe in giving people a second chance when they have shown a genuine desire to make amends."