Fred is off to France for a spell on loan

FREDERIC Guilbert has left Villa to join French side Strasbourg on loan until the end of the season.

Villa head coach Dean Smith revealed after Saturday’s win at Southampton that Guilbert (below) would leave the club before this week’s transfer deadline and the move has now been confirmed.

“We bought Matty Cash in at the start of this season because we felt he was a good-value, quality signing from the Championship who’s done ever so well,” said Smith, when asked about an exit for

Guilbert.

“We’ve also got Elmo (Ahmed Elmohamady) here and (Guilbert) probably wasn’t going to get the minutes with us having three right-backs.

“We want him to go out on loan, get minutes under his belt and come back here in the summer.”

Guilbert played 25 times in the Premier League last term but hasn’t made a top-flight appearance this season.

His only outings have come in the Carabao Cup, with Cash having made the right-back berth his own since arriving from Nottingham Forest last summer and Elmohamady providing back-up.

It has been a dramatic turnaround in fortunes for the 26-year-old, who became a fans’ favourite last season.

He signed for Villa in January 2019 but spent the second half of the campaign back on loan at Ligue 1 side Caen before linking up with Villa later that year.

According to reports in France, there is no option-tobuy included in the loan agreement.

Strasbourg sit in 15th place in Ligue 1 with 24 points from 22 matches.

The club’s first-choice right-back Kenny Lala was expected to join Greek side Olympiakos before the deadline.

Championship side Cardiff had been heavily linked with a move for Guilbert as had Turkish champions Istanbul Basaksehir.

He follows senior players Conor Hourihane, Henri Lansbury and Lovre Kalinic out the door at Villa Park in the window. Hourihane joined Swansea on loan, Lansbury secured a short-term contract with Bristol City and Kalinic returned to Hajduk Split on loan.