OPINION
Aston Villa right-back Alan Hutton limped off in the third minute in the 1-1 draw with Stoke City on Saturday, and many fans are no doubt fearing the worst.
The 34-year-old is a key player for the Villans and now everyone is waiting to hear the extent of his injury after leaving the bet365 Stadium on crutches, with boss Dean Smith admitting that he does not know how bad the injury is yet.
“It’s a knee injury and it doesn’t look good at the moment. We will have to get the consultants to look at it tomorrow because he felt something in there.We can’t say how bad it is yet,” he said, as quoted by the Birmingham Mail.
If Hutton does end up being sidelined for a long time – for the remainder of the season – then somebody else will have to step up in the right-back role in his absence.
The only other recognised right-back is Ahmed Elmohamady, who has been playing on the right side of midfield recently, including the game against Stoke.
He has not got the longest list of admirers at Villa Park due his underwhelming displays, but he will now need to step his game up another level to ensure that the position is suitably covered for however long Hutton may be out for.
Seeing as there is only a few months of the Championship season left, it is likely that Hutton will be absent for this period, which means that Elmohamady will likely have to remain as Smith’s first choice right-back.
Many fans will not be too happy about this, but at the moment, Villa do not have anyone else who could cover the position.
They will surely be praying that he thrives in the defence compared to his role in the midfield, as it no secret that he has been woeful.
Either way, the 6ft [Transfermarkt] player needs to step up to the plate and become the hero if Villa’s worst fears about Hutton are confirmed.