Championship star not distracted by Aston Villa's buy-back clause

Hull City winger Jaden Philogene has told The Athletic that he doesn't 'think' about Aston Villa's buy-back clause.

Unai Emery gave the England youth international the green light to head out the exit door on a permanent basis last summer.

Philogene, 21, was a regular for Aston Villa over pre-season and was expected to be in and around their first-team squad this season.

However, he wasn't guaranteed a regular starting place and he made it clear he wanted to be playing every week at this stage of his career.

Hull won the race for his signature ahead of both domestic and international clubs and he has since become one of the Tigers' most prized assets. He has made 15 appearances in all competitions for the Yorkshire outfit, chipping in with six goals and five assists.

He has spoken about his exit from Villa Park and has told The Athletic: “I wanted to stay but I didn’t think I was going to get the minutes I needed. So the best option for me was to leave. I don’t think it was a big decision. I’m 21 and I needed to play. I spoke to Emery and Monchi and they agreed.”

The Londoner added: “The project (at Hull) is to get in the play-offs and get promoted. We’ve got a team that can do that. I don’t think about it (Villa’s buy-back clause), I just think about playing. I’ve got friends at Villa, but what is best for me is where I want to go next.”

Philogene was on the books at Aston Villa for five years and played six times for the Midlands club. He also had loan spells away at Stoke City and Cardiff City.