Aston Villa have confirmed that defender James Bree has been sealed a move to Championship rivals Ipswich Town on a loan deal until the end of the season.
The Villans confirmed the 21-year-old’s temporary exit to the east England side on their official Twitter account, with Bree having been a figure on the fringes of the first team under Dean Smith this season.
James Bree has joined Ipswich Town on loan until the end of the season ??#DeadlineDay #AVFC pic.twitter.com/Y4y1VdQgDD
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) January 31, 2019
He has made 11 appearances across all competitions this season while he has a total of 41 Championship outings under his belt during his time at both Villa Park and Barnsley.
Opinion
This is a really weird move for Villa but it goes to show how much faith Smith seems to have in the likes of Alan Hutton and Ahmed Elmohamedy for the rest of the season. Bree actually started five games in a row before finding himself axed from the first team squad completely for the last two Championship games and it seems as though he has plenty of work to do if he is to forge a career at Villa Park. Still, at just 21-years-old he has time on his side and will no doubt be hoping that this move to Ipswich can put him front and centre in the spotlight for a senior role with his parent club next season. First team action is crucial for his development and that was obviously not forthcoming in the second half of the season had he remained under Smith. A good move all round.