RUSSELL JOINS ST. JOHNSTONE
The 26-year-old spent a lot of last season on loan at McDiarmid Park after it was made clear he had no future at Maine Road and was a burden on City's wage bill.
Russell also had spells at Darlington and Oxford United, but looks now to have settled in Scotland and hopes a regular spell of first-team football will resurrect his career.
The former £1 million-rated striker will be poised to make his debut against Rangers on the opening day of the SPL season.
Russell said: "When the fixture list came out I was swamped by requests for tickets for the Ibrox game from friends and family who knew I was ready to move to Saints.
"That will be my first match for months and I can't wait to get going. Other players think the close season is too short but I'm desperate to get playing again, to make up for lost time."
In a planetfootball.com article in March, Saints boss Sandy Clark seemed impressed by the wayward striker.
Clark said: "Craig has lost his way at a bit in Manchester, but I watched him in action for the reserves and he impresses me."
