Huddersfield Town sign Aston Villa defender Josh Feeney on loan: Scouting report

The centre-back will spend the 2025/26 season at the John Smith's Stadium

Huddersfield Town have announced the signing of centre-back Josh Feeney on a season-long loan from Aston Villa.

An England youth international, 20-year-old Feeney joined Villa from Fleetwood Town in 2021 and went out on loan twice last year, first to the Spanish third tier with Real Union for the end of the 2023/24 campaign, and then to Shrewsbury Town for the whole of last season.

Feeney is Town’s fifth signing of the summer after midfielder Ryan Ledson, winger Marcus Harness, and defenders Joe Low and Sean Roughan.

Manager Lee Grant said in a club statement: “I am delighted to bring Josh through the door here at Huddersfield Town, as he bolsters our defensive unit heading towards the 2025/26 season.

“Josh is a young talented defender who has a season of experience playing in this division, proving he can deal with the demands of a busy schedule, and is ready and capable of making another step up, as he becomes another addition to our back line.

“We are excited by the potential in Josh this season and we know that he’s motivated in helping Huddersfield Town and the team towards our goals.

“I would like to thank Aston Villa for their trust in assisting the development of one of their bright young talents, and we look forward to working with Josh as we head into pre-season.”

Feeney added (definitely using the name of the league sponsor): “I am thrilled to join Huddersfield Town for the season, a club that has a positive feeling around it and ambition, in Sky Bet League One.

“After conversations with manager Lee Grant, I felt like this was absolutely the right move for me to continue my development. He has clear values and objectives and that is something that I can really get on board with.

“The objectives are clear, and I can’t wait to contribute to the side this season, hopefully giving the fans some positive memories on the way.”

Josh Feeney scouting report and We Are Terriers reaction

First, the injury record: Feeney had two minor injuries last season, but recovered from both reasonably quickly and ended up playing in 37 League One games, with more minutes than any Huddersfield player except Ben Wiles.

As you might expect from a young Premier League loanee, Feeney’s numbers suggest he is more pro-active about going to win the ball than a more conventional centre-half like Matty Pearson or Tom Lees.