Man Utd loanee Sam Johstone has conceded that he may have to start considering life away from Old Trafford on a permanent basis after this season.
The 25-year-old hasn’t been able to break into Jose Mourinho’s plans with the Red Devils, which isn’t a huge surprise given David de Gea sits at the top of the pecking order.
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However, perhaps the biggest disappointment is that he’s ultimately going to be considered third choice at best with Sergio Romero also at Man Utd, and so an exit does seem to be a sensible decision.
Johnstone has now spent almost two seasons on loan at Aston Villa, keeping 17 clean sheets in 41 Championship appearances this year as Steve Bruce’s men battle for promotion to the Premier League.
While they look set for the playoffs, they could be handed a boost if Johnstone is willing to join them on a permanent basis if they go up or not.
“If you leave, then the one downside is that you haven’t done that [made an appearance for the senior side] despite being there since you were 10,” he told The Guardian.
“I’d have liked to have done it. But you’ve got the world’s best goalkeeper, David de Gea, at the club and you can’t wait around forever.”
The shot-stopper went on to add that he sees his future lying elsewhere and having now settled at Villa Park after convincing the supporters of his quality, it seems as though he may well be better off continuing to help their cause rather than hoping to earn himself a future at Man Utd.
Naturally, it will be a disappointment for him having been with the Manchester giants since he was 10, but in the interests of his own career, he will surely be well advised to move on and potentially feature in the Premier League with Villa next season if they can indeed secure promotion.