Swindon Town have swooped to sign Rushian Hepburn-Murphy.
The 23-year-old forward has been without a club since leaving Cypriot side Pafos at the end of last season where he starred 23 times and scored on five occasions.
The Birmingham-born ace is a product of the Aston Villa youth academy, and made his first-team league debut for the club back in March 2015, coming off the bench in a 4-0 win over Sunderland for Christian Benteke at the tender age of just 16 years and 176 days.
He is the second youngest player in the club’s history to appear for the senior side, and the youngest to feature in a competitive match for them during the Premier League era.
During his five year spell at Villa Park, Hepburn-Murphy had three loan spells at Cambridge United, Tranmere Rovers and Derby County before his release in July 2020.
He then opted for a switch to the Cypriot First Division, where joined Pafos, scoring seven goals in a pre-season friendly and going on to make his competitive debut the following month.
On January 2021, he netted his first ever goal for the club in a 5-0 victory over Olympiakos Nicosia.
Internationally, Hepburn-Murphy has appeared at every age group for England at youth level, from the Under-16s through to the Under-20s.
Speaking to Town’s Media Team after agreeing terms, the forward said: “I’m really excited to be here and really looking forward to the challenge ahead. The team did really well last season and I want to help them build on that.
“I really like the way they this team plays football. It really suits me and hopefully I can fit in and get regular games under my belt.
“I’m ready to step up and embrace first-team football again. I’m hungry for goals and can’t wait to get going and play in front of the fans.”
Town First-Team Coach, Scott Lindsey, said: “Rushian is a top player and we are delighted to have him sign with us on a permanent deal.
“He can play across the front line, in the middle or out wide. He’s extremely quick and a really good finisher. He’s an exciter and an igniter and will no doubt get fans up and sat on the edge of their seats.
“Coming here with Premier League experience at such a young age will give him the confidence to perform in League Two, and I’m looking forward to seeing him achieve great things here.”
Town Technical Director, Sandro Di Michele, said: “Rushian is incredibly versatile and extremely quick with his best years ahead of him in my opinion.
“He’s a really exciting prospect that gives us something a little different in the squad which is really important for us.
“His attributes in terms of talent were recognised at a young age at Aston Villa and I’m looking forward to seeing what he can achieve here at The County Ground.”
(Subject to EFL approval).
