Should Sam Johnstone be desperate for an Aston Villa move?

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Sam Johnstone is currently on his second loan spell at Aston Villa, but should he be baying for the move to become permanent? We have a look:

Sam Johnston is approaching a year spent at Aston Villa, by the end of the season he will have been there for a season and a half. Making this the third such club he has played for over that length of time.

Johnstone had previous split three years at Doncaster Rovers and then Preston North End, but also on loan spells. Never a permanent move.

In fact his time at Villa is his 9th loan from parent club Manchester United, to his 6th club. He’s faced a lot of upheaval but his quality cannot be denied, especially as United keep loaning him rather than selling outright.

Manchester United have the world’s best (or second best) goalkeeper, but yet they keep someone of Johnstone’s ability on the books because they know he can either replace De Gea or make them a lot of money in the transfer market with a sale.

Steve Bruce has gone on record that Villa will “do our best to keep him.” And prominent Aston Villa fan Prince William has been “pleading with [Bruce] to get Sam Johnstone tied up and make his deal permanent.”

Should a goalkeeper of Johnstone’s immense ability want to move to Villa? Well he’s 24 years-old, so in goalkeeping terms he’s still a youngster. You’d think that would give him time but he’s now reaching the point where he needs clarity on his future.

9 loan spells in 6 years at 6 clubs is not the kind of clarity that will serve Johnstone well. In order to develop he needs a more stable working environment. A place where he can grow.

That place should be Aston Villa. The Birmingham club have an option to extend his loan for another year, but that merely creates more uncertainty. No, Villa need to pull out all the stops and convince owner Dr. Tony Xia to find the cash flow from somewhere to bring Johnstone to the midlands permanently.

Aston Villa are building towards a return to the top flight, but doing so in a sustainable manner. They’re a true sleeping giant and an ideal venue for Johnstone to grow into his potential.

There’s pressure and expectation, but not too much. There’s media attention, but not too much. Aston Villa is a dream environment and Sam Johnstone needs to push for a permanent transfer there.