Aston Villa forward Rico Richards has joined Stockport County on-loan for the rest of the season.

Richards joined Villa from West Brom last summer.

Hatters boss Dave Challinor said: “I'm delighted to welcome Rico to the club and hopefully he'll have a similar impact to another Villa loanee that we've had. It's Rico's first loan but he is highly thought of and has the ball carrying ability that we don't currently have in the squad at present.

“He can play off either side or as an attacking midfield play but we are really confident that he will impact our squad and get you, the supporters, off your seats. We are all excited for him and know that for him personally he is looking forward to making the most of this opportunity."

Director of Football, Simon Wilson also told the club's website: “Rico is a creative, attacking player with an eye for a goal. He has performed very well in U21s football and in the EFL Trophy games, and will come into contention across all of our attacking positions as well as midfield. In our conversations so far he seems hungry to take his next step and we are excited to see how he transitions into senior football."