Aston Villa goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo has joined League One side Exeter City on loan for the rest of the season.
The 21-year-old is already a full Finland international, having made his debut against Estonia in January.
Sinisalo spent the first half of last season on loan at Burton Albion before returning in January after just four League One appearances, and featured on the bench for Villa 15 times under Unai Emery.
His loan exit has now been confirmed, and he had been training with Exeter for the last few weeks, and is expected to stay for the whole season.
Exeter manager Gary Caldwell has expressed his excitement at the signing, as the Villa starlet has already made a good impression at his new club.
“Vil has been with us for a few weeks now and he’s so eager to get going,” Caldwell stated.
“He cancelled his holiday to come down after international duty. He turned up at 6am on his first day full of energy and excitement.
“He comes with experience of league football at this level, as well as in Scotland and Finland, and he’s played for his national team, so we are really excited to have him.
“He’s ready, he’s trained and he’s up to speed and he already has a feel for the club.”
Aston Villa’s goalkeeping options
Sinisalo was third choice behind Emi Martinez and Robin Olsen, and often appeared on the bench alongside Olsen, rather than as a direct backup to Martinez.
He is yet to make his Villa debut, but has made 45 appearances across the under-18 and under-21 sides, conceding 82 goals and keeping six clean sheets.
It remains to be seen whether Emery will choose to replace him as a third choice with a more experienced backup, or select another youth option as reserve for Martinez and Olsen.
Sinisalo has two years left on his contract at Villa, and this loan could heavily influence his long-term future at Villa Park.
