Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce is hoping to bring Manchester United goalkeeper Sam Johnstone back to the club next season.
Aston Villa’s Sam Johnstone
A report in the Birmingham Mail has suggested that Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce is planning to meet Jose Mourinho at some stage this week to discuss Sam Johnstone’s future.
Johnstone has spent the second half of the season on loan at Villa Park, and it appears that Bruce is hoping to sign the Manchester United stopper in some capacity once again this summer.
The Mail reports that the Villans boss has already spoken with Mourinho on the phone, but now plans to meet the Special One in person to try and come to some agreement over Johnstone’s future.
With Johnstone having just one year left on his deal at Old Trafford, it may not be too great a surprise if Mourinho is open to selling the 24-year-old to ensure that they receive a decent fee for the stopper if the Red Devils have no plans to take up the one-year option in the contract that he signed in 2014 (via Manchester United’s official website).
Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce
And with the Mail adding that clubs in the Premier League and Championship want to sign Johnstone, it may be fair to suggest that Villa targeting another loan deal may be a risky move and may cost them.
Despite Johnstone’s promising statistics since arriving in January however – he kept eight clean sheets in 22 appearances – there appears to still be concerns amongst a section of the fans about whether his all-round game is strong enough to boost Villa’s chances of promotion next season.
But judging by how quickly Bruce is looking to get his future resolved, it appears that the Villa boss has few doubts about whether Johnstone is capable of establishing himself as the side’s number one.
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