Shrewsbury Town snap up England youth international goalkeeper Sam Proctor

Shrewsbury Town are delighted to announce the signing of England youth international goalkeeper Sam Proctor on a season-long loan from Aston Villa.

The 19-year-old arrives at Croud Meadow having progressed through Aston Villa's academy, where he enjoyed a hugely successful youth career that included lifting both the FA Youth Cup and the Under-18 Premier League title.

Having developed alongside World Cup-winning goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, Proctor has established himself as one of England's brightest young goalkeeping prospects.

He has represented the Young Lions at every age group from Under-16 through to Under-20, while also gaining valuable experience in Premier League 2 and the UEFA Youth League.

One of the standout moments of his young career came in Aston Villa's FA Youth Cup semi-final against Manchester United, where he produced three penalty saves in a dramatic shootout victory that quickly went viral.

His impressive performances throughout the campaign earned him a new long-term contract at Villa.

Now, Proctor heads to Shropshire eager to continue his development with regular first-team football.

On the arrival of Sam, Manager Gavin Cowan said: "Sam comes with an incredible pedigree and is very much in the same mould as Matt Cox. We wanted to bring in another young goalkeeper to provide competition for Will Brook, so we're delighted to have him on board.

"We're also really pleased we've been able to bring him in as early as we have, so a big thank you to Aston Villa for making that possible. We're looking forward to helping with his development and, in return, we're confident he'll make a positive contribution to the team.

"It was important for us that Sam joined in time for the pre-season trip to the Isle of Man. Aston Villa have been really accommodating in allowing that to happen, which gives him the opportunity to get to know the lads, settle into the group and understand how we want to play before the season gets underway."