Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce is desperate to keep both Josh Onomah and Sam Johnstone, the duo on loan from Spurs and Manchester United.
While not every Aston Villa fans has been won over by Josh Onomah, manager Steve Bruce seems smitten with his Tottenham Hotspur loanee.
Per The Sun, Bruce said last month that he would be willing to ‘break the bank’ to sign the Under-20 World Cup winner on a permanent deal at the earliest opportunity. Onomah has made 16 Championship appearances so far for Villa and his goal in the 2-1 win against Sunderland on Tuesday ensured that they go into the weekend fourth in the table.
But it appears that the young midfielder is less enthusiastic than his manager about the prospect of committing his long-term future to the second-tier side.
“Obviously I want to do well here and help Villa get promoted, then go back to my parent club and get back in the team,” Onomah, who made his breakthrough at Spurs during the 2015/16 season, said in quotes reported by The Express.
And it appears that another of Villa’s loan stars, Manchester United-owned goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, is also unlikely to be plying his trade under Bruce for much longer.
Bruce has also stated that he is desperate to sign the highly-rated shot-stopper on a permanent basis but reports in The Sun suggest that United will take up their option to recall him in January before selling him on to Midland rivals West Brom for £4 million.
Losing Johnstone doesn’t bare thinking about for Bruce but, until Villa earn their way back into the big time via promotion, the harsh reality is that they will struggle to keep hold of ambitious young players who are given the chance to play Premier League football.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
