Dimitris Kouimtsidis
PEPE Reina has returned to the Premier League for Aston Villa.
The Villans have signed the Spaniard on loan from AC Milan for the remainder of the season.
The 37-year-old is no stranger to England’s top flight after spending eight years with Liverpool, during which he won the FA Cup, the League Cup, the European Super Cup and the Community Shield.
Villa needed to add to their goalkeeping options after Tom Heaton was ruled out for the remainder of the season with a knee injury at the start of the month.
Villa’s number two, Jed Steer, is also out through injury, so manager Dean Smith was forced to bring in a replacement.
Smith spoke with high praise about Reina, as he said: “We’ve managed to secure a player in Pepe who has a wealth of Premier League experience and he fits our criteria not just because of his experience but also because of his leadership qualities.”
Reina made 394 appearances for the Reds between 2005 and 2013 before moving to Bayern Munich, Napoli and Milan.
Reina was also a part of the Spanish side that were crowned World Champions in 2010 in South Africa.
