Ex-Hartlepool United defender Rollin Menayese links up with former Premier League star Robbie Savage at Northern Premier League leaders Macclesfield FC

The 27-year-old, who scored twice in 23 appearances for Pools, was a popular figure at the Prestige Group Stadium.

Menayese signed for Pools on loan from Walsall in the summer of 2022 and was one of the better performers during a challenging campaign for the club, scoring in back-to-back games in December.

However, a serious injury at the end of January ruled him out for the remainder of the season as Pools were relegated from League Two.

The defender missed the next 10 months before returning in November, featuring in the FA Cup and Football League Trophy for Walsall prior to heading out on loan to National League side Aldershot, having made 19 appearances during a previous spell in Hampshire back in 2019.

Despite a mixed time at The Recreation Ground, making six appearances and being sent off in a thumping defeat at Southend, Menayese did enough to earn a permanent deal with the Shots, signing for Tommy Widdrington's side in August 2024.

The defender made 13 National League appearances in the first half of the campaign, starting against Pools and losing the ball for the opening goal in a 2-0 defeat at the Prestige Group Stadium in October.

Menayese has now agreed to drop down to the Northern Premier League, signing for runaway leaders Macclesfield FC.

The Silkmen were founded four years ago after Macclesfield Town, who won the National league title under former Pools boss John Askey in 2018, went out of business.

Since then, the phoenix club have gone from strength to strength, winning successive league titles in the 2021/22 and 22/23 campaigns.

Having missed out on a third promotion in a row last season following defeat in the Northern Premier League play-offs, the Silkmen appointed former Leicester, Derby and Birmingham midfielder Robbie Savage as their head coach in June 2024.

Under Savage's leadership, Macclesfield have dominated the division and are already on the cusp of promotion having won 22 of their 28 league games, scoring 67 goals in the process.

The Silkmen's current squad features a host of familiar faces. Savage's midfield is made up of former Chester, Barrow and Stockport star John Rooney, ex-Salford and Fylde man Danny Whitehead as well as one-time National League promotion-winner Elliot Whitehouse. In attack, Macclesfield can call on former Pools frontman Danny Elliot, D'Mani Mellor, who was on trial at the Prestige Group Stadium last summer, and Tom Clare, who once took a break from football to appear on reality TV show Love Island.

With more than 100 Football League appearances to his name, Menayese will likely have been well-compensated for his move back down the divisions.

The defender, who might well be hoping to progress through the leagues with his new side, made his Macclesfield debut on Saturday, playing the full 90 minutes as the Silkmen thumped strugglers Gainsborough Trinity 4-0.

"Coming in for his debut, I thought Rollin was outstanding at the back," Savage told Macclesfield's official club website.

"The recruitment has been magnificent this season and we're delighted to be able to bring in someone of Rollin's calibre.

"I thought defensively, from set-pieces, we were magnificent."