Will Steve Bruce attempt reunion with Hull City’s Allan McGregor if star leaves?

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Steve Bruce brought Allan McGregor to Hull City and he could be his answer at Aston Villa.

Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce knows just what an inspired goalkeeper Allan McGregor can be when he’s at the top of his game. The Scotland international played almost 100 games in three league seasons under the Geordie gaffer but what are the chances of a reunion this summer?

They’ll certainly be a lot higher if Aston Villa fail to sign Manchester United loanee Sam Johnstone on a permanent contract. According to The Telegraph, both Everton and Sunderland are targeting a £3 million deal for the in-form shot-stopper.

This, coupled with the fact that Italian youngster Pierluigi Gollini will spend next season on loan at Serie A high-flyers Atalanta, means Bruce is facing up to the prospect of searching for another new number one in the summer.

And he could do worse than to return for a player he knows better than most. After all, Bruce signed former Rangers goalkeeper McGregor from Besiktas in 2013 and was indebted to his fine displays as Hull earned a return to the Premier League by way of the play-offs last season.

And Bruce has never held back in his admiration for McGregor.

“Allan McGregor has proved to me what a fantastic goalkeeper he is. He’s as good as anybody,” Bruce told the Hull Daily Mail in 2014.

“He’s as good as anyone I’ve worked with. He’s quick and he’s brave as lion.

An ill-timed injury suffered in the summer meant the 35-year-old fell down the pecking order at the start of this season once Bruce had departed after disagreements with the owners. However, since moving to Cardiff City on loan in January, Neil Warnock’s side have cruised up the table thanks to the stable base provided by the veteran keeper.

The Daily Record claimed earlier in the season that Bruce would consider bringing McGregor to Villa Park and concerns over Johnstone’s future should encourage the manager to get his trusted ‘keeper on the phone before the end of the season.