Scottish defender Alan Hutton is hopeful of being able to force his way back into the reckoning at Aston Villa after finding himself frozen out under the club’s new manager Paul Lambert.
Lambert made little secret of the fact that the former Rangers and Tottenham player was one of those he would have been keen to sell in order to raise funds for rebuilding the team, and since the start of the new season Hutton has found himself out in the cold.
Not only is he not part of the manager’s first team plans, but he is not being allowed to train with them; a state of affairs that will have neutrals and those of a betting persuasion sceptical over his intentions to win over the new manager and regain his first team place.
Many in the football media, and those betting on Premiership transfers at best UK casino sports bet sites, thought that Hutton would be one of the players moving out of Villa Park during the summer, but he confounded pundits and sports gamblers by remaining there.
“It’s frustrating,” Hutton told the Daily Mail, before adding “as a footballer, it is the worst situation to be in, sitting and not getting the chance to play. It’s not ideal.”
Hutton will be hoping that Villa’s difficult start to the new season, and the relative lack of money that has been made available to Lambert by owner Randy Lerner, will lead to him finding opportunities as the season progresses to get himself back into contention.
Certainly, both Aston Villa and Lambert are already under some scrutiny following a poor start and the lack of funds available, which has led some to question why Lambert took the job. However, for the moment Villa still appear keen to try and find a buyer for Hutton in January.