Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has said that he will be looking to send out some of the club’s most promising youngsters out on loan for the rest of the 2018/19 season this January.
One of the names believed to be on the list in exciting playmaker Callum O’Hare. Aston Villa youngster O’Hare has been catching the eye at Villa over the past two seasons, producing impressive performances for the Under-23s.
O’Hare has skippered Villa’s Under-23s on six occasions so far this season and has made it into the first-team matchday squad on five occasions so far. The 20-year-old made his only first-team appearance in their 3-0 FA Cup defeat to Swansea City, playing 55 minutes for Dean Smith’s side.
Smith is keen to give the English youngster first-team opportunities but is also looking to strengthen his squad this January, meaning that first-team chances could be limited for the Villa academy graduate.
With that being said, Smith is looking to let the attacking midfielder go out on loan for the remainder of the season.
“These under-23s need to go and play men’s football. They come back better players and better people,” Smith told BirminghamLive.
“They go out and see the real world playing alongside some seasoned professionals who rely on winning games for bonuses.
“Going out on loan to me is something that’s really important for their development and it’s something that we’re keen to do.”
It is believed that League One duo Bristol Rovers and Burton Albion are both keen to bring O’Hare in for the rest of the season, along with League Two’s Mansfield Town and Exeter City.
