Former Reading and Leeds United manager makes surprising Aston Villa transfer claim

Former Reading and Leeds United manager Brian McDermott has made the bold claim that current Royals midfielder John Swift is good enough to link up with Aston Villa this summer.

He compared Swift’s play-style to that of Villa’s under Steven Gerrard and believes a move to either Villa Park or Elland Road could be likely destinations for him.

“You could stick him in at someone like Aston Villa as technically he’s very good,” McDermott told BBC Radio Berkshire.

“He makes goals, he scores goals and I can see him ending up at somewhere like Aston Villa or someone like Leeds United.

“He can play, he sees a pass but it’s hard to say [how good he will be] until you put them in that environment.”

Whilst McDermott’s sentiments may be true, a move to the west midlands for Swift would appear highly unlikely.

It’s arguably the position on the field Villa least need to look at in the summer. With the continuous growth of Jacob Ramsey and a potential permanent deal for Philippe Coutinho, a move for the 26-year-old would be far from a priority.

Swift, who spent 10 years at Chelsea after working his way through the academy, has scored 11 goals and provided 13 assists for Reading in 35 Championship appearances so far this season.

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