Dan Bardell exclusive: QPR loan for Tim Iroegbunam a sensible move for Aston Villa
We’re delighted to welcome The Athletic’s Dan Bardell as our exclusive Aston Villa columnist each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at the club…
Tim Iroegbunam’s loan exit from Aston Villa to link up with former assistant Michael Beale at Queens Park Rangers is a sensible decision for all involved says Dan Bardell.
There is plenty expected of the teenager in the long term at Villa Park but with few prospects of getting much game time currently the perfect next step for his development is to test himself in the Championship under the guidance of a familiar figure.
He has only made four senior appearances so far for the Villans but Bardell feels that if he can prove himself in the second tier he should come back in a year’s time ready to change that.
He exclusively told Villa News: “It’s no good him sitting on the bench, or not even on the bench most weeks as it’s been. And Villa haven’t been able to throw someone like that into the team because of the hostile atmosphere there’s been.
“He’s a young player. Yeah, he might swim, but you could easily sink as well if it’s a hostile environment, because we haven’t been going well and if you throw a kid in that team and they struggle, you could really be effecting the next stage of their career. They could go under.
“So I think going to QPR, I know a couple of QPR fans, they’re going well, they’re happy with what’s going on at their football club with Michael Beale at the moment.
“Obviously Iroegbunam will have a relationship with Michael Beale as well because he was in and around the first team last season.
“I think that’s a sensible loan. That’s a good loan for Villa, and that’s a good loan for him.
“Hopefully he can get himself into the team, and he can adapt to the rigours of the Championship, which I think he will because he’s got a good physical presence about him and he gets around the pitch well, he’s decent on the ball as well.
“I think a season in the Championship would do him the world of good and then he’d come back next year and hopefully Villa would be in a better state and he’d push and try to get himself into that first team.
“I think that’s a sensible move and that’s a great move for both parties.”
The Manchester City result was a marked improvement on recent games, but any slip ups against Leicester or Wolves could turn the tide against Steven Gerrard again.
Risking a young player in that environment has too small a chance of reward so the step the club has taken makes sense and should pay off in the long run.
In other Aston Villa news, Douglas Luiz wants to leave for a Premier League club on a free.