James Bree would have been hoping to cement his place at Championship giants Aston Villa with Alan Hutton’s contract due to expire in the summer.
It seemed as if James Bree would be given the opportunity he has been waiting for at Aston Villa.
According to The Mirror in January, the Championship promotion hopefuls had decided against offering Alan Hutton a new contract at the end of this season. As such, it was expected that the 33-year-old would leave Villa Park on a free.
So Bree, who joined from Barnsley in January 2017 and has been stuck behind Hutton ever since, would have been chomping at the bit. After all, he made his first Championship start since September in Saturday’s defeat to Bolton – and that was at left-back.
But reports in the Birmingham Mail that Hutton could have a future at Villa Park after all do not exactly boost Bree’s hopes of finally forcing his way into Steve Bruce’s starting XI.
Hutton has been in impressive form since being told he would be shipped out and, as the report states, could just have earned himself a new contract at the club he has represented for the last seven years.
So, with Ahmed Elmohamady expected to stay next season too, Bree is suddenly facing up to the prospect of being third choice once again.
The former Barnsley ace is just 20 years of age and has plenty of time on his side but, after featuring regularly for the Tykes’ first-team in the first half of the 2016/17 Championship season, he could be understandably frustrated with his lack of opportunities in claret and blue.
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