According to Pete O’Rourke of Football Insider, Aston Villa have missed out on the chance to sign Luton Town defender James Justin, with manager Mick Harford telling Luton Today that he’s confident of keeping the 19-year-old as there haven’t been any bids made on deadline day.
Despite his young age, Justin has made 96 appearances in all competitions for Luton since rising through the youth ranks to the first-team in 2016. He’s regarded as one of the hottest prospects in the Football League and has a number of clubs keen on his signature.
Villa were one of the sides interested in Justin, but gametime might have been hard to come by given the competition. Dean Smith allowed James Bree to join Ipswich Town on loan as Alan Hutton and Ahmed Elmohamady were at his disposal at right-back.
Justin is a regular for Luton, so he wouldn’t want to sit on the bench with another club. Harford made it clear earlier on Thursday that Villa had little chance of getting their man, saying: “There’s been no bids and a bid won’t come in today.
“It’s too late for that type of business I think. There’s been no bids so hopefully there isn’t any, we secure the squad and keep them all together for the final run-in”. Villa could return for the 19-year-old over the summer, as Hutton will be out of contract and in need of replacing. Elmohamady’s deal expires in 2020.
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