LATICS outcast Gary Woods will make his loan move to Aberdeen permanent in the summer.

The goalkeeper joined the Dons having been told, along with David Wheater, that he would not be part of Oldham’s first team squad this season.

The 30-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season and has signed a two-year pre-contract deal with the Scottish Premiership side.

The former Doncaster Rovers and Hamilton Academical man initially returned north of the border as cover due to injuries at Pittodrie, but made his debut last month after number one and captain Joe Lewis was ruled out and has made four appearances in all.

“Gary is a very experienced goalkeeper and we have been impressed with the standard of his performances in recent games," Dons boss Stephen Glass said.

“As we build for the future it is important we build a strong squad, one which has quality throughout, and Gary helps us set the standards we expect at this club.

“We look forward to continuing our work with Gary when he officially joins us in the summer as an Aberdeen player.”

Woods, signed by Oldham in the summer of 2019, and Wheater's Latics exile in September came after a dispute around pay cuts brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. The pair's representatives Quorum Sports said the move from the Oldham hierarchy was "designed to put unfair, undue pressure on two experienced professional players to break a contract which was signed in good faith.”

Neither player featured for the club again, former captain Wheater exiting Boundary Park by mutual consent in March.

Woods departs having made 16 appearances for the club, all in the 2019-20 campaign.

Latics will need reinforcements in the goalkeeping department this summer with loanees Ian Lawlor and Laurie Walker having featured prominently over the course of this season.