Aston Villa: It is Jed Steer’s time to shine at goalkeeper
By Josh Tonti
Aston Villa goalkeeper Jed Steer returned to the fray after a difficult battle with an achilles tear. Now 24, Steer has been handed a chance in goal after a pair of injuries to Sam Johnstone and Mark Bunn.
There is a chance that in six days’ time Jed Steer will be the starting goalkeeper for Aston Villa in their season opener. The home match against Hull City offers the perfect opportunity for the 24-year old.
At one point in the not so distant past, Steer spent considerable time warming the bench in the Premier League. As Brad Guzan’s former deputy, Steer featured in several cup matches for Villa.
For a then-21/22-year old that is a considerable achievement; especially considering the rich history of the club coupled with the glory of England’s top flight.
On Saturday during Villa’s final pre-season tune-up, the club announced Sam Johnstone received an injury in training. As of this writing, there has been no update on his condition. Considering the injury was picked-up before the match, and that he was unable to play, he could very well miss a few weeks’ worth of matches.
No problem. Enter number two ‘keeper, Mark Bunn. Well, Mark Bunn is injured as well. He failed to travel with Aston Villa to the Cup of Traditions in Germany. Moreover, he didn’t even make the bench against Watford; The claret and blue had to settle for just one goalkeeper (none on the bench) – Jed Steer.
So here we are, down to number three, Jed Steer. Based on talent alone, Steer far exceeds the veteran deputy Mark Bunn. Standing at 6’2″, Steer’s combination of youth, talent, and experience molds into a perfect experiment for Aston Villa – whose number one remains a loan from Manchester United.
Steer made 38 Championship appearances for Huddersfield Town during the 2015/2016 season. As we all know now, The Terriers play in the Premier League.
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It’s time for Jed Steer to shine at Villa. It’s very possible he can prove to be Sam Johnstone’s equal. At the vert least, he can prove to manager Steve Bruce that he deserves the cup matches.