The 22-year-old will battle it out with Rory Watson, back from an arm injury which ruled him out for much of the last campaign, for the goalkeeping jersey during the 2019-20 campaign.
Hurst told iFollow Iron: “Rory is our only recognised first team goalkeeper. We have Adam (Kelsey) but I don’t think he’s at a point where he’s ready just yet, so he’ll be more involved with the Under-23s. Rory needs competition and I think Jake is somebody who is really ready to make that step now and push to play first team football.
“He’s had a loan previously and played a few games, and is very well thought of at Sheffield United. They think he’s ready and already I can see a good relationship between the two (Rory and Jake), but they know they’re fighting for that position in the team.
“I’ve got no preference in who it is. I want two good goalkeepers and the early signs are we’ve got that. Their sharpness will improve as we go along through working with Mussy (Paul Musselwhite).
“He’s someone who’s very hungry and I’m delighted to have him on board. He’s hungry and fits the bill that I like, and will be doing everything he can to nudge ahead of Rory.
“Rory is also hungry too after missing a lot of last season, and has looked very good in training so far.
“He has a great personality and that’s something we look into when we sign players. We look at what their attitude’s like, where are they in their career and what’s their motivation moving forward, and also being a good person. He ticks all those boxes for us and he’s also mature for his age."
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