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Aaron Tshibola makes honest admission after leaving Aston Villa to join Nottingham Forest on loan

Aston Villa’s Aaron Tshibola applauds fans after the game (REUTERS)
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The midfielder joined Forest until the end of the season on Monday.

Aaron Tshibola has commented on his loan departure from Aston Villa after leaving the club to join Nottingham Forest on loan, admitting that he wasn’t surprised to leave Villa Park, in quotes published by the Birmingham Mail.

The central midfielder signed a deal at the City Ground until the end of the season after a raft of new Villa arrivals left his first-team prospects looking limited.

Villa have added midfielders Henri Lansbury, Birkir Bjarnason and Conor Hourihane this month, and with Tshibola already out of favour under Steve Bruce, he looked set to be frozen out.

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Rather than stagnating on the sidelines over the next few months, it was agreed by club and player that the 22-year-old, a £5 million summer signing from Reading, should be allowed to leave temporarily in search of regular football.

Aston Villa's Aaron Tshibola celebrates scoring their first goal

On Monday, it was confirmed that Tshibola has now made the short journey to the East Midlands to join Forest, where he is likely to effectively become Lansbury’s central replacement.

Speaking after sealing the move, Tshibola admitted that he is not surprised to have left Villa this month, and highlighted that the fact he is still in the early stages of his career means that he can always benefit from more experience.

Aston Villa's Aaron Tshibola and Jack Grealish before the game


The midfielder said, via the Birmingham Mail: “It wasn’t a surprise to leave Villa, with the new signings there it was agreed the move would be best for my development.

“I had discussions with the manager at Villa and it was important for me to go out and play games and build my experience.”

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Tshibola put in some encouraging performances during the early stages of the season – scoring a late equaliser against Newcastle – but had played just three times since October.