Gareth Ainsworth has strengthened his defensive options with the capture of Southampton centre-back Jason McCarthy on an initial one-month loan deal.

The 19-year-old has featured regularly as captain for the Saints’ under-21 team, lifting the Under-21 Premier League Cup last season, and made his Premier League debut as a substitute against Crystal Palace on Boxing Day last year.McCarthy appeared at Adams Park during Southampton’s 5-2 victory over Reading in the Barclays Under-21 Premier League in September, and links up with his new team-mates as preparations begin for the Sky Bet League 2 clash at Stevenage on Saturday.Ainsworth said: “Jason’s a very highly-rated defender who’s had good experience in the under-21s at Southampton and they feel he’s ready to go out and get a taste of what senior football is like at League 2 level.“Our last two games haven’t reached our high standards defensively and he’s a new option who adds competition for us, with Anthony Stewart still missing for another couple of months.“I’d like to thank Southampton for allowing Jason to move here and we’re looking forward to helping him develop his game during his time with us.”Jason will wear shirt number 22 during his loan spell, which runs until November 12th.