FORMER favourite Frank Yallop helped to persuade Jason De Vos to sign for Ipswich.Yallop, who was the Town fans' player of the year in 1988, is now the Canada boss and gave the Ontario-born central defender a glowing report about the club and Suffolk in general.

FORMER favourite Frank Yallop helped to persuade Jason De Vos to sign for Ipswich.

Yallop, who was the Town fans' player of the year in 1988, is now the Canada boss and gave the Ontario-born central defender a glowing report about the club and Suffolk in general.

Former Wigan skipper De Vos, who has signed a three-year contract at Portman Road, said: “Frank could not speak highly enough about Ipswich and the area, and he urged me to sign.”

De Vos, 30, rejected a better financial offer from Cardiff and was also wanted by Stoke - but when Town boss Joe Royle provided a guided tour of the Town set-up he was instantly hooked.

He added: “Once I had been round the training facilities and the manager drove me around the area and talked about the club's ambitions I was convinced it would be the right move.”

De Vos was due in Wales yesterday, for a second chat with Cardiff boss Lennie Lawrence, but instead he cancelled and rang Royle to tell him his decision.

The former Montreal Impact, Darlington and Dundee United star added: “Other clubs offered more lucrative deals but the three-year contract was a factor.

“My little girl will soon be two years old and it is important for her to be settled. So many people have told me what a lovely part of the country it is to live in.”

At 6ft 4in tall, De Vos is renowned for his heading prowess and he went on: “That is a big part of my game, the big, strong, physical aspect with aerial ability at both ends of the pitch.

“I'm very ambitious and like every player I want to be playing in the Premiership. With Ipswich I feel we can do that.”

De Vos is now with his Canada colleagues in Chester ahead of Sunday's friendly against Wales in Wrexham, which will signal his 44th senior cap. The squad jet back across the Atlantic on Monday and will take on Yallop's former club, San Jose Earthquakes, on June 5.

Then comes the start of Canada's World Cup qualifying campaign with home and away games against Belize before he returns to England on June 17, just 11 days before the Town squad assemble for pre-season training.

But De Vos played down suggestions that he could miss as many as ten club games because of his likely international commitments over the next few months.

He said: “The First Division is a very competitive league with a lot of international players. Many of the games scheduled are during international breaks any way and I'm hoping that games will be called off then.

“At every club I have been at I have worked hard to honour my club commitments, even if that has meant pencilling myself out of squads for friendlies and some tournaments.”