Tom Heaton to bring Premier League experience to Aston Villa

The England international goalkeeper has become the club’s 11th summer signing ahead of their top flight return.

At 33, he is by some distance the oldest of the new recruits with Villa’s focus on reducing the average age of their squad.

But having played four Premier League seasons at Burnley, Heaton is also the most experienced of the new boys in the top flight.

"It's been a busy window so far – a lot of signings,” said Heaton. “But it needed to happen with a lot of players having also left the club.

"The majority of the signings are young, hungry and athletic. It's a really exciting time for Aston Villa and I'm delighted to be a part of that.

"Hopefully, I'll bring a bit of experience to it."

Heaton, who has three international caps, hopes joining Villa can provide the platform to challenge Jordan Pickford for the No.1 shirt ahead of next summer’s Euro 2020 tournament.

But his chief focus will be on helping Dean Smith’s new-look team establish themselves on the big stage.

“There will be challenges along the way,” he said. “Any team coming up the priority, first and foremost, should be staying in the league.

“Beyond that I don’t think there should be any limitations. If you can start getting the results and building those points, there should be no limit.

“You have to be open minded to what the possibilities are.”

Villa remain keen to add a striker to their ranks before the transfer deadline on August 8.

Midfielder Marvelous Nakamba is poised to become the club’s 12th signing in an £11million switch from Club Brugge.