Confirmed: Villa send young defender on season-long loan to Brighton

Aston Villa sure moved quickly on this one. Joe Bennett is off to the Championship for the season as the club confirmed his loan deal to Brighton Hove Albion today:

Joe Bennett has joined @OfficialBHAFC on a season-long loan deal. #AVFC #BHAFC pic.twitter.com/hwGqD0R3gM

— Aston Villa FC (@AVFCOfficial) August 20, 2014

As we wrote earlier, the move makes a lot of sense given Villa's current pile-up at the left back position. Bennett has rarely been a great player for Villa (heck, he's often been terrible) but there have been flashes of skill, and given that he is only 24 it would be silly to give up on him so quickly.

This move will make sure that he's getting regular playing time in a fairly competitive league. It's no Premier League, but with its schedule the Championship is one of the toughest grinds in European football and should provide the kind of experience that will tell us whether Bennett has a future in the highest levels of the game.