Aston Villa have confirmed via their official website that Dutch defender Ritchie De Laet has left the club on loan.

The 29-year-old will spend the next six months with Belgian side Antwerp, in what marks a return to the club that handed the player his professional debut twelve years ago.

De Laet had struggled for minutes at Villa Park this season, making just one appearance in the league for Steve Bruce’s side, and the former Manchester United man made the conscious decision to allow De Laet to return to Belgium in search of regular first-team action.

The Belgian international joined Villa in 2015 following a successful spell with Leicester City, and still has eighteen months remaining on his contract with the Villains, although it appears likely that De Laet has played his last game in a Villa shirt following the scarcity in which he has received first-team exposure this season.

Fans took to Twitter to have their say on the latest departure at Villa Park, with many keen to see further outgoings in the coming days…