Aston Villa midfielder Aaron Tshibola has joined MK Dons on a season-long loan. The 22-year old becomes Robbie Neilson’s eighth summer signing; the fourth season-long loan.
MK Dons Sign Aaron Tshibola From Aston Villa
Tshibola has made 25 appearances in the Sky Bet Championship for clubs including Aston Villa, Reading and Nottingham Forest. He also spent the 2014/15 season on loan at then League Two side Hartlepool.
Aaron Tshibola made eight appearances last season for Aston Villa, scoring once in a seemingly positive start to life at Villa park. This came in the 1-1 draw with Newcastle on 24th September 2016. His strong performances pleased fans, but he slowly fell down the pecking order. Once the sacking of Roberto Di Matteo was confirmed and Steve Bruce arrived in his place, Tshibola was virtually out of the team.
In a bid to gain more minutes, Tshibola moved to Nottingham Forest on loan for the remainder of last season. He made four appearances for The Reds, but failed to register a goal.
Internationally, Aaron Tshibola has represented England at U18 level. He made his debut in March 2013 for The Three Lions in a 1-0 loss to Belgium, where he was a second half substitute. At senior level, Tshibola is eligible to play for DR Congo, and he was called up to their senior side for a friendly against Kenya on 26th March 2017. He did not appear in the match, however.
Speaking about the move to the MK Dons website, Tshibola said “I’m delighted. I the met the manager – he was totally ambitious and sold the club to me. The club matches my ambitions and I feel like this is the perfect place for me to be right now. I want to get back playing and enjoying my football. I feel like, at this time in my career, playing games is the most important thing for me. Hopefully I can do that and help the team strive for some success this season.”
Manager Robbie Neilson also said “It’s a move we’ve been working hard on for a while so to finally get it over the line is really pleasing for us. Aaron will bring great experience, energy and power to the team. He’s a Championship-calibre player so it’s a top signing for us. I think it shows how far we’ve come and where we’re trying to get to, that we can attract someone of Aaron’s quality.”
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