Sam Johnstone will be playing alongside John Terry this season, having returned to Aston Villa on loan.
Sam Johnstone has suggested that Aston Villa’s ability to sign John Terry this summer was more of a bonus for him rather than a reason behind his decision to return to the club, the Express and Star reports.
Villa have arguably pulled off one of the most notable deals in the Championship during this window by bringing the five-time Premier League winner to Villa Park ahead of their second consecutive season in the second tier.
Aston Villa’s Sam Johnstone
Steve Bruce’s men were also boosted by the news that Johnstone had returned on a season-long loan following his promising spell with the club during the second-half of last season.
And while Johnstone expressed his delight at now being able to call Terry a teammate, he insisted that it did not need to play any part in his decision to come back.
“Having him around the place is huge. It shows how big this club is to sign someone like that,” he said, as reported by the Express and Star.
“His experience and what he has been through, playing in top, top games can only help that.
“My mind was already made up to come back here but things like that (signing Terry) are a bonus.”
John Terry
Though Johnstone’s form dipped at times last season, it appears that Bruce is on his way to constructing the kind of defence that should arguably give the Villans a fantastic chance of battling near the top of the table during the coming season.
The 24-year-old stopper enjoyed a run of seven clean sheets in eight games at one stage during his previous loan, and with a full pre-season under his belt to build a better understanding with the defence, it would hardly be a surprise if he puts several similar runs together during the coming campaign – especially with a player of Terry’s calibre sitting in front of him.
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