The 30-year-old played under Sky Blues manager Aidy Boothroyd during his time at Watford.

“I am very grateful for the chance Coventry City have given me and I look forward to working with Aidy again,” King said in a statement.

King was released from prison in July after being jailed for 18 months after being found guilty of sexual assault and joined Coventry as a free agent.

King was a Wigan player on loan at Hull City when he was jailed and after being sacked by the club, Latics chairman Dave Whelan insisted he would “never pull on the shirt of Wigan Athletic again”.

King, a Jamaica international, began his career with Barnet, before joining Gillingham in 2000.

After making over 100 appearances for the Gills he joined Nottingham Forest for £950,000 in 2003 but had an unhappy spell at the City Ground.

While at Forest, he had an unsuccessful loan spell at Leeds United, before joining Watford on loan in the summer of 2005.

King was a hit, scoring 12 goals in 21 matches before he joined the Hornets in a permanent deal worth £500,000. He finished as the Championship’s top goalscorer for the 2005-06 season with 21 goals.

He moved to Wigan Athletic for £3 million in January 2008 but he failed to make an impact.

He joined Hull City on loan in August 2008 but his spell was cut short after reacting in an “unacceptable manner” after being told he would not start in a match against Arsenal.

King went on to join Middlesbrough on loan in January 2009 and scored his second goal for the club against former employer’s Hull on 11 April.

Manchester United 2 Liverpool 2

A glorious hat trick from Dimitar Berbatov gave Manchester United a fully deserved win against Liverpool.

The Bulgarian striker scored either side of half time, including a stunning overhead kick to mark his second goal.

Liverpool were thrown a lifeline by lapse’s in United’s defence as Steven Gerrard scored twice in six minutes midway through the second half.

The first coming from the penalty spot and the second a free kick from 20-yards, both as a result of fouls on Fernando Torres, to give the Reds hope of an unlikely point.

But, Berbatov had the final say, scoring his and United’s third with a towering header with six minutes remaining.

United were dominant throughout the match but it was poor defending once again that threatened to undo all of the good work from Berbatov and others.

The home side took the lead with three minutes of the first half remaining, when Berbatov pounced on poor marking at a set piece.

Striker Torres was at fault, losing Berbatov in the battle to make contact with Ryan Giggs’ corner and the Bulgarian headed past Pepe Reina.

Berbatov’s second was a stunner. A cross from Nani went behind him, but the striker brought the ball under control and fired in an overhead which went in off the underside of the bar.

Liverpool were given hope after 64 minutes when Jonny Evans fouled Torres in the area, allowing Gerrard to convert from the penalty spot.

Roy Hodgson’s side were back on level terms just six minutes later when John O’Shea was booked for fouling Torres on the edge of the area.

Gerrard directed a his free kick through a gap in United’s wall and past the despairing Edwin van der Sar.

Berbatov completed his treble after 84 minutes when he headed United back in front, outjumping Jamie Carragher to glance a cross from O’Shea’s into Liverpool’s goal.

Sunderland 1 Arsenal 1

A goal in stoppage time from Darren Bent earned a deserved point for Sunderland against an Arsenal side reduced to 10-men at the Stadium of Light.

The Gunners went in front in bizarre fashion when a Cesc Fabregas block on a clearance from Anton Ferdinand flew in from 40 yards out.

Arsenal had Alex Song dismissed for two bookable offences and missed before Bent smashed in a loose ball from six yards after Gael Clichy failed to clear his lines.

Steve Bruce’s side played with passion from start to finish but fell behind in the most unusual manner after 13 minutes.

The lively Fabregas gambled and ran towards Ferdinand who was about to clear. He stuck aout a hopeful boot and watched his block sail 40 yards over the stranded Simon Mignolet and into the net.

Sunderland had enough chances to go into the break 2-1 ahead. Defender Nedum Onuoha headed over from six yards and Cristian Riveros could not make a solid connection with a right-sided cross from Ahmed Elmohamady.

Arsenal were reduced to 10 men after Song was shown a second yellow for blocking Steed Malbranque.

With time running out, Arsenal missed a penalty when Tomas Rosicky inexplicably blazed over the bar

It looked as though the Black Cats were going to suffer only their second home defeat in 13 outings until Bent grabbed a dramatic late equaliser.

With five minutes of injury time played and only seconds remaining, Arsenal full back Clichy cleared straight to Bent who fired high into the goal.

Tottenham Hotspur 3 Wolves 1

Tottenham came from behind to beat Wolves and brush aside any notions of another European hangover.

Wolves took a surprise lead at White Hart Lane when Steven Fletcher tapped in a cross from Kevin Foley in the dying stages of a first half that Spurs had dominated.

Spurs were back on level terms when Rafael van der Vaart to scored a penalty after Alan Hutton was fouled in the box.

With minutes left, substitute Roman Pavlyuchenko put Spurs ahead before full back Hutton scored a third in stoppage time.

The scoreline was perhaps unflattering for Wolves, who proved themselves to be worthy opponents, but the result was a fair one as Spurs created the larger number of goal scoring chances throughout.

Wolves did their best to frustrate Spurs, but as the first half progressed, it was Harry Redknapp’s side that began to assert their authority.

So, when Steven Fletcher tapped in a low Kevin Foley cross a minute before half time, the goal could be seen as nothing other than a sucker punch.

Spurs continued to battle after the restart and 13 minutes before the end, they finally got the equaliser they had threatened all match.

Hutton drew a rash challenge from Stephen Ward in the penalty area and Van der Vaart converted his first Spurs goal from the spot.

Spurs got their noses in front after 87 minutes when Tom Huddlestone’s shot was deflected into the path of Roman Pavlyuchenko off Wolves’ Karl Henry and the striker made no mistake from close range.

The home side got a third in stoppage time when Richard Stearman deflected the ball onto Hutton’s foot and watched in agony as the ball looped over keeper Marcus Hahnemann.

Liverpool 4 Steaua Bucharest 1

Liverpool comfortably beat Steaua Bucharest in their Europa League tie, with Joe Cole scoring his first goal for the club following his summer move from Chelsea.

England international Cole needed just 27 seconds to break the deadlock after capitalising on poor backpass by Octavian Abrudan.

The Romanians levelled when Cristian Tanase chipped over on-rushing goalkeeper Pepe Reina but a David Ngog penalty early in the second half restored the Reds’ lead.

A stunner from Lucas Leiva and a late effort from Ngog completed the scoring late on.

The Europa League is not a priority for Liverpool this season, but for Cole, it has enabled him to stay fit while serving a domestic ban for his sending off against Arsenal on the opening day of the season.

Cole displayed flashes of the imagination the Reds want him to bring to their team and he will be available to feature against Manchester United on Sunday.

The former Chelsea and West Ham star gave the home side a perfect start when he latched on to Abrudan’s tame backpass and fired into the far corner.

But, Steaua were back on level terms after 13 minutes when Bogdan Stancu slid a pass in for Tanase, who calmly dinked the ball over Reina.

Liverpool showed their vulnerability at the back at times but asserted their authority in the second half.

Striker Ngog scored from the penalty spot after Sotirios Kyrgiakos was fouled in the box by Pantelis Kapetanos.

Liverpool scored a further two goals in the last nine minutes when Lucas unleashed a ferocious 22-yard strike after 81 minutes before Ngog added a fourth in stoppage time.

Manchester United 0 Rangers 0

Even the return of Wayne Rooney could not inspire Manchester United to victory against an ultra-defensive Rangers at Old Trafford.

The striker was recalled to first team action after being left out against Everton on Saturday as United manager Alex Ferguson made 10 changes to the side that drew at Goodison Park.

But, Rooney cut a subdued figure as the Reds could not break down a dogged Rangers defence and with Paul Scholes and Dimitar Berbatov not even on the bench, United rarely looked like making a breakthrough.

One positive to come out of the game for Ferguson was defender Rio Ferdinand playing his first 90 minutes of first team action since his knee injury at the World Cup.

However, this was cancelled out by Antonio Valencia’s serious ankle injury which will see the lively winger out for the rest of the season.

Valencia suffered the injury after a challenge with Kirk Broadfoot but his team mates appeared to place no blame on the Rangers defender at all, who looked distressed himself after the incident too place.

Veteran Ryan Giggs replaced Valencia after a lengthy break in play who was stretchered off the pitch to sympathetic applause.

Manchester United goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak, in between the sticks for Edwin van der Sar, was not seriously tested at all during the game as Rangers stuck rigidly to their game plan.

It worked – Rangers got the point they came for and the travelling fans celebrated wildly after six tense minutes of stoppage time were added as a result of the injury sustained by Valencia.

Werder Bremen 2 Tottenham Hotspur 2

Tottenham Hotspur ended their first ever Champions League appearance all square against Bundesliga side Werder Bremen.

Spurs went in front when Petri Pasanen turned a cross from Gareth Bale into his own net before striker Peter Crouch doubled the lead on 18 minutes with a header.

Werder dragged themselves back into the game with a Hugo Almeida goal two minutes before the break and Marko Marin equalised one minute after the restart.

The German side dominated the later stages but Spurs held firm for deserved draw and the result means all four teams in Group A are level on points after Inter Milan and FC Twente drew 2-2.

Spurs took the lead after just 12 minutes when Gareth Bale squared the ball for the onrushing Crouch, only for Finland international defender Pasanen turn the ball past goalkeeper Tim Wiese from six yards out.

Crouch did get on the scoresheet with a second goal for Spurs just six minutes later. He towered over the hapless Pasanen and headed in Rafael Van der Vaart’s cross from the left hand side past Wiese.

But, the Germans made the most of a rare defensive lapse of concentration when Almeida got in between Ledley King and Assou-Ekotto to head in a curling left-wing cross from Wesley past Carlo Cudicini two minutes before half-time.

Arguably the goal was undeserved but it galvanised the home side going into the second half.

With barely a minute on the clock after the restart, Marin got Werder back on level terms when he lashed a powerful 20-yard strike past Cudicini after he was given too much space by full back Vedran Corluka.

Everton 3 Manchester United 3

Two goals in stoppage-time capped a stunning fightback for Everton after United manager Alex Ferguson dropped Wayne Rooney for his Goodison Park return.

Ferguson’s side appeared to have his 700th game in charge sewn up as they held comfortable two-goal lead going into three minutes of added time.

But Everton sparked a lated rally with a Tim Cahill header and with United on the ropes, Mikel Arteta hit a deflected equaliser from the edge of the box.

Midfielder Steven Pienaar gave Everton the lead just before half-time, but Darren Fletcher equalised within four minutes. Further goals from Nemanja Vidic and Dimitar Berbatov looked certain to take maximum points back to Old Trafford before Everton stunned United.

Everton made the breakthrough after 39 minutes when an error from Patrice Evra error allowed Arteta to break clear. Even though his effort was saved by Edwin van der Sar, midfielder Leon Osman was able to set up Pienaar from the rebound to sweep in an easy finish.

However, United were back on level terms within four minutes when Fletcher timed his run perfectly to steer home first-time from a Nani cross.

Portuguese winger Nani was on hand to set up United’s second shortly after the restart, providing the telling cross for Vidic to head home past keeper Tim Howard.

United looked out of sight when they scored a third after 66 minutes. Scholes sent Berbatov through to steer the ball past Howard.

But Everton were not to be beaten. Cahill headed home a cross from Leighton Baines to give the home side hope and the diminutive Australian then headed another cross from the defender into the path of Arteta, who smashed in a shot which deflected off Scholes.

Arsenal 4 Bolton Wanderers 1

Arsenal brushed aside 10-man Bolton and the free-scoring side took their goal tally to over 1,000 under Arsene Wenger.

Defender Laurent Koscielny gave Arsenal the lead but his error allowed Johan Elmander to level for Bolton a minute before the break.

The Gunners stepped up a gear in the second half and Maroune Chamakh headed in the first of three second-half goals from close range.

Trotters defender Gary Cahill was sent off for a dangerous tackle before Alex Song and Carlos Vela completed the rout.

Sebastien Squillaci, a £6 million signing from Sevilla, made his debut for Arsenal in the absence of the injured Thomas Vermaelen but the dismissal of Bolton defender Gary Cahill saw Trotters boss Owen Coyle confront referee Stuart Attwell after the match.

Young midfielder Jack Wilshere, who played 14 matches for Bolton on loan last season, instigated the move which gave Arsenal the lead after 24th minutes.

The teenager’s left-footed cross allowed Chamakh to square the ball at the back post for Koscielny who tapped in from close range, via a second deflection off the sprawling Adam Bogdan who was making his debut in place of the suspended Jussi Jaaskelainen.

But the Trotters went into the break on level terms after South Korea international Lee Ching-yong crossed for Elmander to head in the equaliser from six yards.

Chamakh scored Arsenal’s 1,000th goal under Wenger when he headed in a Cesc Fabregas cross from the edge of the six-yard box after 58 minutes.

Arsenal began to dominate and Bolton’s troubles amplified when Cahill was shown a straight red card for a dangerous tackle on Chamakh.

The Gunners added a third with 12 minutes left when Song scored from an acute angle past the onrushing Bogdan and substitute Vela smashed in the fourth from the edge of the area after 83 minutes.

West Ham United 1 Chelsea 3

It was an easy day at the office for Chelsea, who brushed aside rock-bottom West Ham at Upton Park.

Michael Essien scored with a free header to put the Blues in front inside two minutes with a free header and Chelsea’s second was scored in bizarre fashion when a clearance from Matthew Upson hit Salomon Kalou’s heel and sailed into the net.

Essien outjumped Tal Ben Haim to add a late third, before Scott Parker scored a Hammers consolation, lobbing Petr Cech from the edge of the box.

West Ham are rooted to the bottom of the table without a point in their first four Premier League games.

Didier Drogba sent in an early cross for an unmarked Essien to head his team into the lead, despite Carlton Cole attempting to head the ball away from danger.

Chelsea’s second goal was farcical. Hammers keeper Rob Green failed to keep hold of Drogba’s free kick and Upson was first to the ball but his clearance ricocheted onto Kalou’s heel and into the net.

The third goal for Chelsea came after 83 minutes when Essien rose highest to head home Ferreira’s cross.

West Ham finally scored a goal of their own from midfield maestro Parker.

Chelsea keeper Cech punched a corner to the Hammers captain, who skilfully cushioned a volley back over a crowd of players and into the far corner.

But the goal, the first Chelsea had conceded in the league since mid-April, received little response from the home crowd, who are already sensing a tough battle to remain in the Premiership this season.