Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has told The Birmingham Mail that Frederic Guilbert is leaving on loan.
Smith has also explained why the decision has been made to let the 26-year-old right-back leave on loan for the rest of the season.
The Villa boss has added that the Frenchman will be back in his squad in the summer of 2021 for the 2021-22 campaign.
French publication L’Equipe has reported that Strasbourg will sign the 26-year-old on loan for the rest of the season.
Smith told The Birmingham Mail: “We bought Matty Cash in at the start of this season because we felt he was a good-value, quality signing from the Championship who’s done ever so well.
“We’ve also got Elmo here and (Guilbert) probably wasn’t going to get the minutes with us having three right-backs. We want him to go out on loan, get minutes under his belt and come back here in the summer.”
Sensible move?
Villa struck a deal with Caen to sign Guilbert in January 2019, and the defender stayed at the French club on loan until the end of the 2018-19 season.
The right-back made 22 starts and three substitute appearances in the Premier League for the Villans last season, according to WhoScored.
Matty Cash joined Villa in the summer of 2020, and with playing time hard to come by, it makes sense that Guilbert is leaving Villa Park on loan for the rest of the season.
Villa are doing well at the moment and seem to be in the running for the European places in the Premier League table.
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