Aston Villa goalkeeper Sam Johnstone waiting on future after Manchester United contract is extended

The 24-year-old has been a star performer for the Championship promotion hopefuls while on loan from Manchester United this season and Villa boss Steve Bruce has made no secret of his desire to making him the club’s long-term No.1.

Villa’s hopes of signing Johnstone on a permanent deal almost certainly rest on winning for promotion to the Premier League.

With 12 games remaining, Villa sit third in the table ahead of Saturday's home game with QPR and for now Johnstone is happy to focus on the promotion race.

“The truth is I’ve not spoken to anyone about it as of yet,” he said. “My plan is to finish off this season and then see what Manchester United and Aston Villa’s position is on the matter.

“I want to keep playing football. I’m enjoying the number of games I’m playing.

“The Premier League is where you want to be week in, week out. I’d love it for this club to be a part of that next season and for many years to come. Hopefully we can all keep performing at a good level for the rest of the season and make that happen.

“At the moment, though, it’s very much a case of I’ve not spoken to anyone at United and we’ll see in the summer. But I do want to carry on playing as much football as possible.”

United have triggered a year-long extension in Johnstone’s contract, which was due to expire this summer, in order to protect the value of one of England’s brightest young goalkeepers.

Villa have previously been quoted a £5million price tag for Johnstone, with Financial Fair Play restrictions meaning any talks have been put on hold until the end of the season.

“We’ll see what happens, but I can’t play down how much I’ve loved being here,” added Johnstone. “It’s been a fantastic experience.”