Diego Lopez joins Espanyol on loan from AC Milan

AC Milan backup Diego Lopez joined Espanyol on a season-long loan Wednesday as he looks to earn regular playing time.

The deal doesn't include a purchase option.

The 34-year-old fell down the pecking order early last October when then-manager Sinisa Mihajlovic made a 16-year-old Gianluigi Donnarumma the youngest goalkeeper to start a Serie A match.

Lopez was obviously unhappy with his situation, having joined the Rossoneri on a free transfer from Real Madrid in the summer of 2014.

He proved a capable No. 1 in the early days of his Rossoneri stint, giving Milan security at the back during an otherwise miserable Serie A season.

He was previously a starter for Jose Mourinho's Madrid, supplanting Iker Casillas during the 2013-14 La Liga term.