BATH director of rugby Todd Blackadder has no doubt that Freddie Burns has what it takes to return to the England set-up following the announcement that the fly-half has signed for the club this week.

The arrival of Burns at The Rec is part of the deal that sees George Ford return to old club Leicester Tigers, with that move finally confirmed after months of speculation regarding the future of the current England number 10.

Former Beechen Cliff schoolboy Burns, 26, was part of the Bath Academy until 2008 when he moved to West Country rivals Gloucester, before he then swapped Kingsholm for the Tigers in 2014.

Burns has won five England caps but has not played for his country since the tour of New Zealand in the summer of 2014.

Blackadder is well aware of how strong the competition is for the England number 10 jersey but is sure his new recruit is capable of returning to the very top of the game.

“Freddie’s got an excellent character. I met him when we were discussing the possibility of this move and I was really impressed by him,” said Blackadder.

“He’s got a great understanding of the game and I think the big thing for both us and him is that he is a Bath boy and his family live here, so it’s a homecoming that we’re all excited about.

“There are things with his game that he wants to work on and he sees coming here as the opportunity to improve, and he wants to be involved in the way we want to play the game.

“He’s young enough, so he’s got time on his side and he’s already got experience of playing on the biggest stage. He’s only going to get better, so he’s got every opportunity to get back to that level.

“One thing we’re guilty of is writing people off too quickly and Freddie has already shown he has got the ability and character to play at that level, so I am sure he is going to get the chance to again.”

The confirmation of this week’s deals draws a conclusion to the protracted saga surrounding the future of Ford, who has been unsettled at Bath ever since his father, Mike Ford, was sacked as head coach at the end of last season.

Although sad to see him go, Blackadder praised the attitude shown by the 23-year-old and the part he has played for Bath over the past four seasons.

“The positive thing is that the decision has been made so we can now just move on. For us, it doesn’t really change too much, it’ll only change in the summer as we get ready for the 2017-18 season,” said the Bath chief.

“There has never been a question over his commitment to this club. He’s been a great part of our team and everything we have done this year.

“If you look at a wider picture of how his game has developed in his time at the club, we should all be very proud of him.”