Alan Hutton left Aston Villa in the summer.
Peter Grant, who worked under Alex McLeish when he was Aston Villa manager, has praised Alan Hutton for the manner in which he won over the fans after they initially gave him a ‘hard time’.
Right-back Hutton was released by Villa this summer after eight years at the club – he initially joined in 2011 when McLeish brought him from Tottenham.
At the time, there was a lot of unrest at Villa because those in charge had decided to appoint Birmingham City boss McLeish as manager.
Speaking to Sportsround on BBC Radio Scotland, Grant credited Hutton for the manner in which he became a cult hero at the Midlands club.
“When we were at Villa, he got a hard time just because it was myself and Alex [McLeish],” Grant told Sportsround. “We had come from Birmingham and there was a lot of unrest. In November, we were sitting top of the league and we were getting booed off. It was quite incredible.
“Alan used to get quite a lot of criticism because we had brought him in actually. But he was fantastic. How he won these supporters was phenomenal. What is it they call him, ‘the Scottish Cafu?’ And he thoroughly deserved it. That’s the type of character he is.”
After McLeish was sacked by Villa in 2012, Hutton then found himself on loan at various clubs from going to Spain’s top-tier to playing for Nottingham Forest.
In the end, Paul Lambert brought him back into the set-up, but during that period Villa were on the road to their first relegation in nearly 30 years.
Hutton stuck with Villa in the Championship as he helped them earn promotion to the Premier League last season. His last goal for the club was a solo effort against bitter rivals Birmingham in November.
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