Rochdale AFC are set to strengthen their attacking options with the signing of experienced forward Manny Duku, who is poised to join the club following his recent departure from National League side Tamworth.

The 33-year-old journeyman striker brings a wealth of experience from across the English lower leagues, as well as spells in Scotland and abroad, and joins on a free transfer

Born in Amsterdam, Duku began his footballing journey in the Dutch lower leagues, featuring for a number of clubs including Legmeervogels, Abcoude, Breukelen and VV Eemdijk.

He moved to England in 2015, where he started to build a reputation as a powerful and reliable goalscorer within non-league football. Early spells at Kings Langley and Banbury United helped him adapt to the English game, but it was during his time at Hayes & Yeading United where he truly made his mark, scoring an impressive 33 goals in just 39 league appearances.

Those goals earned him a move into the Football League with Cheltenham Town in 2018. While opportunities were limited at Whaddon Road, Duku gained valuable experience of the professional game and enjoyed loan spells at Barnet and FC Halifax Town, finding the net during both spells and continuing to demonstrate his physical presence and finishing ability at National League level.

After leaving Cheltenham, Duku took his career north of the border, signing for Raith Rovers in the Scottish Championship before later joining Inverness Caledonian Thistle. He also enjoyed a brief but prolific stint overseas with Manchester 62 in Gibraltar, where he scored six goals in six appearances.

Returning to England, Duku resumed his career in non-league football, representing Maidstone United and Wealdstone before enjoying a particularly productive spell at Hednesford Town, scoring 19 goals in 38 appearances. Further goals followed during a short stint with Solihull Moors, where he netted four times in nine games, before most recently joining Tamworth. During his time with the Lambs, Duku made 29 appearances and scored seven goals before leaving the club by mutual consent earlier this month.

Photo: Action Images via Reuters