The Aston Villa full-back has been in resurgent form this season.
Alan Hutton’s time on the left of Aston Villa’s defence signalled a renaissance few fans saw coming and, even after the return of Neil Taylor from suspension, it seems the Scotland international has no intention of fading into obscurity once more.
Hutton was dropped from the Villa line-up earlier this season but after recent performances it seems he is one of the first names on the team sheet, potentially causing problems for one of Steve Bruce’s favourite players.
The Villa boss worked with Ahmed Elmohamady at Hull City and was quick to bring the Egypt international to his current club and, despite a surfeit of right-backs, it was the former Tiger who got the nod week in, week out.
Not so anymore, with Elmohamady dropped in favour of Hutton for Villa’s recent victories against Queens Park Rangers and Sunderland, and one wonders if Bruce has had to accept that even one of his most trusted players does not currently deserve a starting spot ahead of the Scot.
Hutton has won over all but his fiercest critics and he deserves to keep his place, even if Elmohamady was doing well in an attacking sense prior to his omission.
Villa will need all the players at their disposal in the months ahead as they bid to mount a sustained and ultimately successful promotion push. However it seems Bruce has accepted, for now at least, that Hutton is a better option than a man he clearly rates as one of his own.
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