Fulham sign Chris Baird on loan from Derby for rest of 2015-16 season

Fulham have re-signed their former player Chris Baird on loan from Derby for the rest of the campaign.

The 33-year-old Northern Ireland international left Craven Cottage to join West Brom on a free transfer in the summer of 2014 when the Whites were relegated from the Premier League.

He then moved to Derby when his year-long contract at the Hawthorns expired last summer, after 24 appearances for the Baggies, and he has played 16 times for Rams this term.  

But Baird said: "When the opportunity arose I had no doubt in my mind that I wanted to come and be part of this again.

"I'm looking forward to playing in front of the fans again. They were fantastic to me over the six years that I was here previously."

Baird joined Fulham in a £3m deal from Southampton in 2007 and made 165 appearances for the Whites, scoring four goals.

Equally comfortable in defence or central midfielder, Baird was part of the team that reached the Europa League final under Roy Hodgson in 2010 and started in their 2-1 defeat to Atletico Madrid in Hamburg.

Fulham were under a transfer embargo during the winter window and could only bring in loan players, and they expressed an interest in taking Baird back from the Rams in January.

Derby have since sacked their manager Paul Clement, and are currently bossed by caretaker Darren Wassall.