Aston Villa

Hutton exit must be Jan priority

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OPINION

Aston Villa defender Alan Hutton returned to the starting line-up to face Hull City on Saturday after being an unused substitute against Wigan Athletic and all he proved was that his exit must be a priority in the January window.

The 34-year-old may have the excuse of the fact he has been deployed as both a right-back and a left-back this season which has seen his form be a glorified rollercoaster ride, but given his experience he should be submitting as bad displays as he is.

After being unused against Wigan, with previous performances nothing to write home about, you felt that perhaps Hutton will be up for the fight against Hull to prove himself but that just wasn’t the case.

The Villans may have battled their way to a 2-2 draw but at times Hutton just didn’t look like he had anything left in tank and let several different Hull  players just run past him on different occasions.

It was a shocker really for the veteran as he just looked too slow, out of ideas and just incapable of being a reliable defensive presence that Dean Smith could rely on.

Given that one of the most promising aspect of Hutton’s game last season was his never-say-die attitude, it’s just clear that it’s time for exit as that has even abandoned him at this point.

With the veteran showing no signs of improving even when rested, as he had a nightmare showing against Hull despite being left out previously, it’s clear that an exit for him must be a priority in January rather than continuing on with him until the summer.

While Smith will want a replacement for him, which is understandable, at this point, it does seem the club are better off without Hutton regardless of whether someone is guaranteed to arrive at Villa Park to replace him.

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