Alan Hutton has returned from injury and he will be hoping to play his part in Aston Villa’s promotion push.
Alan Hutton has revealed that club legend Stiliyan Petrov still ‘leaves messages’ for the likes of Jack Grealish and John McGinn as he lauded him as the best Aston Villa player he played with.
Midfielder Petrov was a key part of the Villa side that finished in the Premier League’s top-six on three consecutive occasions under Martin O’Neil.
When the former Bulgaria international left Villa in 2013, he left a big void in midfield and some may feel his presence and qualities have still not been replaced.
Nonetheless, right-back Hutton was in awe of what Petrov brought to the table during his time at the club and how he helped others settle in.
“I’ve got to go for Stan Petrov [the best player I played with],” Hutton told Villa’s official website. “What he brought to the club as a player and as a captain was immense.
“He was an inspirational man for a lot of other players here, a lot of young players – the likes of Barry Bannan, for example.”
“It’s for what he did off the pitch as well as on it, too. Even now, he chats to us all – myself, Jack Grealish, John McGinn. He leaves messages, makes phone calls to us. He’s not an official part of the club but he’s still helping it, helping us all.”
Right-back Hutton, who has been out of action since injuring his knee in February, is back on the training pitch and hoping to help Villa earn promotion to the Premier League.”
There is no doubt that Petrov will be urging Villa on in their promotion push as Dean Smith’s side are on an eight-game winning run, at this moment in time.
They travel to relegation-threatened Bolton on Friday afternoon hoping to continue their fine form and maintain their top-six status.
Last season, Villa were beaten by Fulham in the playoff final and Smith’s new forward-thinking side will be hoping to go one better this time around.
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