BIRMINGHAM, England – American midfielder Michael Bradley has been loaned to England's Aston Villa from Germany's Borussia Moenchengladbach until the end of the season.
The 23-year-old will be available once he receives international clearance and a visa.
"Michael is a very hard-working midfielder who can score goals and is versatile," Villa manager Gerard Houllier said. "I saw him play four times at the World Cup in South Africa. I saw him once on TV, but four times at the games for the national team, so in terms of scouting you cannot say the work has not been done."
Villa has the option to sign Bradley, a son of U.S. national team coach Bob Bradley, permanently at the end of the season.
"Over the past few years Villa have made big strides and are trying to challenge at the very top of the Premier League," Bradley said. "I am excited to be part of that and I am excited to be here. I want to play at the highest level and test myself in the biggest of games."
Bradley has eight goals in 50 appearances for the U.S. national team.
"I try to win tackles and, defensively, make it really hard on the other team in the center of the field," Bradley said. "Within the last week or so I heard that the manager was interested in bringing me here. From the moment I heard that, I was really excited and really just hoping that everything could get done. For me, the Premier League is the best league in the world. You watch a game in the Premier League and the speed of the game, the pace and the power all stand out."
He is the fourth Villa signing of the January transfer window, after forward Darren Bent, midfielder Jean Makoun and on-loan right back Kyle Walker.
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