Premier League winner opens up on 'humiliating' Aston Villa exit

Treble winning goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel arrived at Villa Park in 2001, following a two year spell with Sporting Lisbon.

That came on the back of successful years with Manchester United - and he went on to play 36 times for Villa and even famously became the first Premier League keeper to score in a clash with Everton.

The shot stopper only spent one season at Villa and has opened up on his time at the club in an episode of The Rest is Football.

The keeper, who now works as a broadcaster, was let go by Villa in 2002 and spent a solitary season with Manchester City before retiring from the game.

He explained how he loved his time at Villa Park and wanted to stay longer - but was humiliated by the manner of his exit under Graham Taylor, who had taken over from John Gregory.

He explained: "My perfect move back to the Premier League was Aston Villa.

“And it still sits badly with me that I have to leave Aston Villa because I absolutely loved being there.

“I loved working with John Gregory, I loved the fans, I loved the stadium, I had so much history in that Stadium.

“But Graham Taylor, who took over after John Gregory, he just didn’t want players like me as a simple fact.”

The keeper, who made almost 750 appearances during his career - said his exit still sits badly with him and it was arguably one of the toughest moments he had in the game.

He added: “It was probably my darkest moment in my footballing life.

“That he called me into his office – with a long time of the season still to go – to tell me that they were not going to take the option they had on me for the next season.

“I said that was fine because I didn’t like being there with him, and he said ‘and you’re not playing anymore’ – and that, I mean, that was humiliating for me.

“He said that he didn’t want to be ‘the manager who saw me go downhill’ – that was his words. He said I had a fine career, I don’t want to be the man…

“I know the background for that and but that, still to this day, sits really badly with me.

“If I had had the opportunity to stay at Aston Villa I probably would have played on for for a bit more than what I did.”