On the last day of the emergency loan transfer window Coventry City have finally added a player to their squad, but he is not the experienced player many had hoped for and that City boss Andy Thorn wanted, but a 21 year old who can't break into Aston Villa's first team.
Gary Gardner, brother of Sunderland's Craig Gardner, is due to join up with the Coventry City squad at their Ryton training ground later today.
The 21 year old, 6' 2" tall midfielder has represented England at under 21 level, scoring two goals against Iceland after coming on as substitute. He also scored a hat-trick for Villa's young side in their NextGen tournament 3-0 win over Dutch side Ajax last Tuesday which saw them move into the quarter finals.
Gardner was in demand and wanted by several other clubs, including Leeds United, but Coventry City secured the loan deal until January 3rd 2012
City boss Andy Thorn said of the Solihull born midfielder, “I am delighted to get him. Although I have been looking for a bit of experience, this was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up because Gary is such a talented lad.
"He’s over 6ft, has got a great engine, can tackle and he scores goals from midfield. He’s an England Under-21 international and a proper talent and we’ve beaten off a host of other clubs to get him because he likes to play football and likes the way we play, so he should be a good addition for us.”