Fiji lock Leone Nakarawa, who was sacked by French club Racing 92 in November, is to rejoin Glasgow Warriors for the rest of the season, the Scottish side announced on Thursday.
The 31-year-old, who played for Glasgow between 2013 and 2016, was instrumental in them winning the 2015 Pro12 title, thrashing Irish powerhouse Munster 31-13 in the final.
"We're rapt to welcome Leone back to Glasgow," said Warriors' coach Dave Rennie who will leave the club at the end of the season to take over as coach of Australia.
"Everyone knows how dangerous he is with ball in hand and Glasgow supporters have fond memories of his previous exploits in a Warriors jersey.
"He is close with a lot of the players and we're looking forward to welcoming him back into the squad this week."
āļøš”ļø Warrior #224 is back in town š#NaksIsBack pic.twitter.com/1kZ5cq6Lkz
ā Glasgow Warriors (@GlasgowWarriors) January 2, 2020
The three-time Rugby World Cup veteran returns to Scotland after a highly successful three-year spell with Top 14 club Racing 92 -- scoring 23 tries in 86 appearances -- which saw him named European player of the year in 2017/18.
However, his relations with Racing soured after the World Cup in Japan last year.
The French club sacked him for returning two weeks late after taking a holiday post Fiji's exiting in the pool stage.
"I've remained close with my ex-teammates during my time in Paris and they played a big role in my decision to come back," Nakarawa told glasgowwarriors.org.
"I'm really looking forward to working with Dave Rennie and the coaching staff.
"Glasgow Warriors play an attacking style, which suits the way I like to play."
Nakarawa, who can play either at lock or in the back row, has been capped 61 times.
He was named in the 2015 Rugby World Cup team of the tournament and was part of the Fiji side that clinched an historic gold medal in rugby sevens at the 2016 Olympics.
