Manchester City's Sinclair joins Aston Villa on season-long loan

Manchester City and Aston Villa announced the season-long loan agreement for midfielder Scott Sinclair on Friday.

The sides also have an agreement which gives Villa the option of making the move permanent in the summer.

The move gives the out-of-favour player an opportunity to get some much-needed playing time after only managing two appearances as a substitute this season.

"It's taken a few weeks but I'm happy to be here, to be in the building and to be signing for the club and ready to play some football," Sinclair said on the team's website.

"It's nice to be able to get settled somewhere and be a part of something going forward."

After such a frustrating time with City following his transfer from Swansea City, Sinclair still believes his future is bright.

"I believe I have my best years ahead of me. This is a new challenge, a new chapter in my life, and hopefully I can settle in as quickly as possible, have a good start and go from there," he said.

Villa are in desperate need of offensive weapons after accumulating a league-worst 11 goals through 22 matches, six goals less than what league-leader Diego Costa has scored for Chelsea.

Manager Paul Lambert spoke about his respect for Sinclair's playing style and expressed his eagerness to see how the English player can transition into the squad and help Villa turn their season around.

"He's got great ability and I'm looking forward to working with him," Lambert said. "His goal record for a winger while he was at Swansea was excellent so he can add goals to the side, and he's got great pace as everyone knows about.

"I think he'll add something to the side and I'm delighted we've managed to get him here."