Aston Villa have confirmed that Kaine Kesler Hayden will spend the rest of the season on loan at Huddersfield Town.
The 19-year-old impressed in pre-season with the senior squad, backing up some strong performances at youth level for us as well as out on loan last season.
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Kesler Hayden was captain of the side that won the FA Youth Cup in 2021, while he earned rave reviews during his temporary spells with Swindon Town and MK Dons last year.
While there were hopes that he could stay with the first team this campaign and push Matty Cash for playing time, Villa have confirmed that they’ve given the green light to a loan exit to join Huddersfield for the season instead.
It’s an important move in terms of Kesler Hayden’s development as he’ll gain valuable experience in a more prominent role where he’ll play more than he will likely do at Villa.
With that in mind, it’s easy to understand the reasoning behind the decision to loan him out again, but ultimately there is a hint of disappointment too as he could potentially have been an important option for Steven Gerrard this season.
Nevertheless, as with Cameron Archer who will remain this year and look to cement his place in this Villa squad off the back of a positive loan stint last year, Kesler Hayden will now hope to do the same and the ultimate objective for all concerned has to be to see him feature in a Villa shirt for many years to come.
With his defensive solidity, attacking quality and leadership skills having captained at youth level, he could be a key player for us in the future and so Villa will hope that this is a productive loan spell that continues to lead him on that path.