LEVI Sutton is thrilled to be linking up with the manager who brings out the best in him.

Sutton became the first signing of Stuart McCall’s third spell at the Valley Parade helm after penning a two-year deal.

And the City new boy admitted he did not take much persuading to rejoin his former Scunthorpe boss.

McCall had been in charge of Iron for just seven months when he was sacked in March 2019, shortly before they followed the Bantams through the relegation trapdoor in League One.

But Sutton relished playing under him – and jumped at the chance to do it again in City colours.

He said: “As soon as Stuart McCall showed an interest, I was so keen to get back with him.

“Although his time at Scunthorpe was short, it was probably the best I’ve played under a manager.

“It’s great when you’ve got someone like that who has faith in you and plays you week in, week out.

“I still think Scunthorpe should have kept him but that’s not my job to decide. I’m just delighted to be back with him and Kenny (Black).”

Utility man Sutton had been ready to sign a new deal with his hometown club when the coronavirus pandemic brought the season to a sudden halt.

Then Scunthorpe tightened their belts by announcing they would not be offering any contracts – and McCall saw the opportunity to make his move. But it had to be a gradual process because of the financial uncertainty caused by the shutdown.

“It was literally the week before the lockdown happened when I sat down with the chairman,” added Sutton.

“I was going to sign there for another two years but that obviously got knocked on the head when everything happened.

“I spoke to the gaffer, who I knew from my time at Scunthorpe, and we just start chatting about stuff. Then eventually we got to talking about contracts.

“From the start of the lockdown, we’ve been having phone calls now and again. It made it 100 per cent better for me knowing I had that interest there from Bradford.

"But I was in limbo then because nobody really knew what was happening. I was just waiting to find out if there was a deal on paper.

"Finally it got to the stage where they sorted it at the club with the budget and wages for next year and it went from there."

Sutton's versatility has appealed to McCall as teams prepare to work with smaller squads in the future.

A central midfielder coming through the ranks at Scunthorpe, Graham Alexander converted Sutton to right back because of injuries and he adapted well.

But most of his games for McCall were back in midfield and that is the role he prefers.

"I'd rather play there but it's handy if you can do two or three jobs. But I’m just excited to get back because I know how he plays.

"I’m excited about training, getting a starting date for the season and pushing on from there.”

City will have until 5pm on Friday, October 16 to do their business in the transfer window.

The EFL yesterday announced it will open on July 27 with a deadline of October 5 at 11pm for international registrations. The 11 days after that will be for domestic-only deals.