Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has given Rushian Hepburn-Murphy permission to join Tranmere Rovers on loan this season, according to Football Insider.

Tranmere are in advanced talks to sign the 20-year-old on a season-long loan deal, as Micky Mellon looks to strengthen his squad following their promotion to League One last season.

Hepburn-Murphy has made 17 appearances for Villa and spent the second half of last season on loan at Cambridge United, where he scored two goals in 16 appearances in League Two.

Smith and his coaching staff at Villa Park believe that another loan move for the attacker would be the best thing for his development and would allow him to experience regular first-team football.

This latest report states that there are still some issues to be ironed out before the transfer can be completed, but it seems as though it is only a matter of time before the deal is finalised now that Smith has sanctioned the move.

The Verdict

This is could be a fantastic signing for Tranmere. Hepburn-Murphy is a promising young player and he is capable of playing in a variety of attacking positions, making him a very useful signing for Rovers.

He wouldn't be on the books of a big club like Villa unless they thought he had potential and the fact he's already made a few appearances for their first team suggests that they rate him highly for the future.

He probably isn't going to get much of a chance at Villa this coming season, especially now they are a Premier League club again, so another loan move is the best thing for his development and it will allow him to gain some valuable experience.

It's so important for young players to experience regular first-team football and Hepburn-Murphy is pretty much guaranteed to get that at Tranmere next season, so this deal makes perfect sense for all parties.

The forward did well while on loan at Cambridge in League Two last season and I think he's more than capable of making an impact in the third tier this season.