LOAN STAR REINA SET TO REIGN WITH VILLA
Amex Stadium: 3pm
Nv
DEAN SMITH says new signing Pepe Reina is ready to start a four-month glove story with anxious Aston Villa fans.
The veteran Spain keeper has been brought in on loan and looks certain to be thrown straight in at Brighton today.
Villa boss Smith has already seen enough on the training field to convince him it is a shrewd move.
Relegation-threatened Villa were forced into the market because England keeper Tom Heaton has been ruled out for the season with kneeligament damage.
And the former Liverpool stopper, 37, was targeted as a big name for a big job, even though he will return to AC Milan once the season ends.
Smith said: “I wouldn’t have brought anybody in with 16 matches to go if I didn’t feel they could play straight away.
“Looking at the way he performs in training and listening to him – that’s not a problem. He’s probably just what we need in the dressing room right now.
“His experience tells you all you need to know – he’s a World Cup winner. He’s got an air about him. He knows what he’s about.”
He added: “Players have to be able to handle it. I remember Sir Alex Ferguson talking about playing in front of 70,000 fans. It’s no different here. We’re guaranteed 42,000 each week. Part of that criteria we look at is players who can handle that.”
“He’s settled in straight away, which is what I’d expect. He’s vastly experienced and he will be a real voice in the dressing room because we have a fairly young squad. He can certainly help them.”
Reina (above), who spent nine years at Anfield, looked on from the stands as Manchester City dished out a 6-1 drubbing on Sunday.
Smith (left) joked: “He watched that – and still signed! Having said that, City are one of the best teams in Europe, but we helped them.
“We need to stick that defeat in a concrete box and bury it six feet under the ground.”
Smith is targetting six wins in the fight for survival and doesn’t need the importance of the next three fixtures underlining – Brighton, Watford and Bournemouth.
It’s a crucial triple-header with a Carabao Cup semifinal clash with Leicester in between. Smith added: “Our season won’t be defined by Man City, but by matches against Brighton, Watford and Bournemouth.
“Brighton haven’t won many – they will see it as an opportunity to win.”