Three Aston Villa players fighting for their futures, including first-team regular

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The end of the Championship season is just two months away, so Aston Villa have a few decisions to make about some key players’ futures.

Regardless of what division Aston Villa are in next season, expect there to be a rather substantial overhaul of Steve Bruce’s squad.

There is plenty of deadwood that needs to be cleared away, but who has just two months to save themselves from the chop?

Alan Hutton

The obvious first name on this list. The Mirror claimed in January that Hutton was ‘shocked and disappointed’ to learn that Villa had decided to release him in the summer at the end of his contract.

But the Birmingham Mail claimed last week that the 33-year-old’s fine form in the last two months, particularly when filling in at left-back in place of Neil Taylor, has seen Aston Villa change their tune.

Hutton is a key player for Steve Bruce, starting 24 Championship games this season, and his experience and versatility would be key in either the the top flight or the second tier.

Chris Samba

Like Hutton, Samba is another experienced defender who is due to become a free agent on July 1. But, unlike Hutton, the former Blackburn and QPR man might not be given the opportunity to save his Aston Villa career.

With James Chester and John Terry firmly established as Villa’s first-choice centre-back pairing, 33-year-old Samba has not made a single appearance since the goalless draw with Millwall back in December.

With eight league games remaining, Samba will be praying that he gets a chance to stake his claim for a new deal at the Midland giants.

Mile Jedinak

Villa were so over reliant on their £4 million bearded Aussie battler last season that they took steps to ensure the same would not happen again and it worked.

Villa seemed incapable of winning without Jedinak in the starting XI last season but have been able to use the former Crystal Palace skipper sparingly this time round, with almost half of his 20 appearances coming from the bench thanks to the arrival of Glenn Whelan and the emergence of Birkir Bjarnason as a defensive midfielder.

Jedinak’s contract expires in the summer of 2019, so Villa must decide whether to cash in or let him leave on a free one year later.