Steve Bruce changes his mind about Aston Villa’s Alan Hutton, but he shouldn’t

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Alan Hutton is set to earn a new Aston Villa contract if they are promoted.

The Birmingham Mail have suggested that Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce has made a u-turn on his decision over Alan Hutton’s future, but he is making a mistake.

Hutton was told by Villa that he would be allowed to leave at the end of the season, when his contract expires.

However, Steve Bruce is now planning to offer the Scot a new deal if Villa are promoted.

The claret and blues look likely to be in the play offs at the end of the campaign, and Hutton’s hopes of staying at Villa Park now rest on Bruce’s side winning the promotion deciding fixtures.

But Bruce should be looking to do without Hutton, if Villa do go on to earn promotion this term.

There is no doubting that Hutton has been a valuable member of Villa’s squad this season.

The experienced full-back has covered on both sides of defence, and his whole-hearted approach has made him a solid option at Championship level.

But Villa will need to be ruthless if they return to the Premier League, and Hutton should be let go.

Tony Xia has expressed a desire to see Villa challenging for Europe, and to prove that ambition, the claret and blues will need to make harsh decisions, starting with letting Hutton go.