Aston Villa goalkeeper Sam Johnstone has given an extensive update on his future at the club with his loan spell set to come to an end in the summer.
The Manchester United stopper has been in impressive form for Villa this season, and the club have made it clear that they would like to convert his temporary deal into a permanent one.
However, there have been other clubs linked with moves for the 24-year-old, and there may be a fight on for his signature with a summer exit possible.
In an interview with Villa’s official website, Johnstone has now given an extensive update on his future, admitting that he has aspirations to play in the Premier League, but is enjoying his time at the club.
“I enjoy it here. I love playing football here and training every day. But the truth is I’ve not spoken to anyone about it as of yet. My plan is to finish off this season and then see what Manchester United and Aston Villa’s position is on the matter. I want to keep playing football. I’m enjoying the number of games I’m playing.
“The Premier League is where you want to be week in, week out. I’d love it for this club to be a part of that next season and for many years to come. Hopefully we can all keep performing at a good level for the rest of the season and make that happen.
“At the moment, though, it’s very much a case of I’ve not spoken to anyone at United and we’ll see in the summer. But I do want to carry on playing as much football as possible. I want that continuity. I had it from the end of last season into this season and I don’t want it to stop now. I want it to continue into the next campaign. That’s where I stand on it,” he said.
Mainstay Johnstone has made 34 appearances for Villa this year, keeping 14 clean sheets for the club as they push for promotion back to the Premier League.
He has never appeared in for the Manchester United first-team, instead being sent out on five separate loan spells to various different clubs in the Football League.
As reported by the Mirror in January, Premier League trio West Ham, West Bromwich Albion and Crystal Palace have all showed interest in Johnstone.
OPINION
Johnstone’s update will be both promising and worrying for Villa. He is obviously very happy at the club and enjoying his time at Villa Park. He is the club’s clear number one in goal, and that is obviously helping his confidence. However, the 24-year-old also has obvious designs on the Premier League, having been plying his trade in the lower leagues for a while now. So, if Villa do manage to get promoted, then there is no reason why they could not work out a deal to bring him in permanently this summer. However, if they fail to get out of the Championship again, then it could spell trouble for Johnstone’s future at the club.