Alan Hutton: Aston Villa will always be in my heart
Alan Hutton says Villa will “forever be in his heart” as he prepares to leave the club this summer.
The 34-year-old defender, Villa’s longest-serving current player, has been told he will not be offered a new contract when his deal runs out at the end of June.
It brings to an end an eight-year stay for the Scot, who has experienced one of the more extraordinary careers in Villa’s history.
Hutton, signed from Tottenham in 2011 by then boss Alex McLeish, will depart having made a total of 202 appearances for the club.
But he did not feature in the first-team for two years between 2012 and 2014 as he was frozen out under Paul Lambert, with Villa looking to cut their wage bill.
After being restored to the squad, Hutton went on to establish himself as a cult hero and was one of the few players to emerge with any credit from the club’s disastrous relegation campaign of 2015/16.
A regular through three seasons in the Championship, he scored a memorable goal in November’s 4-2 derby win over Blues.
But Hutton did not make the squad for Monday’s play-off final win over Derby at Wembley and will now be released, with boss Dean Smith keen to lower the average age of Villa’s squad.
Winger Albert Adomah and centre-back Tommy Elphick are also poised to depart having not been offered new deals.
Decisions are yet to be made over Glenn Whelan and Mile Jedinak, two of Villa’s other out-of-contract players.
