Villa signs Reina on loan from AC Milan as injury cover

Posted January 13, 2020 6:00 am

The Associated Press

BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) - Aston Villa signed former Spain and Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina on loan from AC Milan until the end of the season on Monday.

Villa, which is in the relegation zone in the English Premier League, made the move for the 37-year-old Reina after first-choice goalkeeper Tom Heaton was ruled out for the rest of the season because of a knee injury.

Reina, who was in Spain's 2010 World Cup-winning squad, played for Liverpool from 2005-13, before spells with Napoli, Bayern Munich and most recently Milan.

'œWe've managed to secure a player in Pepe who has a wealth of Premier League experience," Villa manager Dean Smith said.

'œAt the start of the summer, we were looking for an experienced goalkeeper and brought in Tom Heaton. Unfortunately, his injury has ruled him out for the rest of the season but Pepe fits our criteria not just because of his experience but also because of his leadership qualities.'ť

Reina was at Villa Park on Sunday to watch Villa lose to Manchester City 6-1, a day after dropping into the bottom three in the league.

___

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Article Comments

Article Categories
Content Providers MLS Pro Sports Soccer Sports Sports Leagues Sports Types

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.