Ashley Westwood comments on his exit from Aston Villa

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Westwood says his departure from Villa Park to join Burnley made him happier.

Burnley midfielder Ashley Westwood has lifted the lid on how much he was struggling at Aston Villa before his departure in 2017.

Speaking to the Telegraph, Westwood said moving to Turf Moor instantly made him feel better after the way he found it tough towards the end of his time at Villa Park.

He said: “It was only when I joined Burnley [in January 2017] that I realised how bad a place I was in [at Villa].I’d keep it all inside, locked away, trying to show a hard face but my wife knew I was unhappy. I’d never drink in the house but now I didn’t want to go out.

“I’d get home after getting beat and didn’t want to be seen out because fans would turn on you and I’d end up drinking red wine at home. Rebecca was really worried about me at times. She’d ask: ‘Are you all right?’. And I’d just say: ‘Yeah, I’m fine’. But I wasn’t. It was an instant release coming to Burnley.”

Westwood was a young player coming through at Villa, lacking the experience to cope with the fact the club was on a downward spiral at the time.

He was under unfair pressure to help reverse the slide when it was the more experienced players who could have done more – and off-field problems contributed to Villa’s slump.

Westwood has since shone in the Premier League for Burnley; where he has a clear role in the side under a manager who clearly rates him, armed with greater experience to boot.

Villa signed Danny Drinkwater on loan this month, who was unable to plot a way past Westwood during his loan at Burnley in the early part of the season – although injury did play a part in that.