Grealish boost for Villa as Hutton faces lay-off
ALAN Hutton’s knee injury is not as bad as first feared – but the Scot will still struggle to return for Aston Villa before the end of the season.
Boss Dean Smith confirmed the 34-year-old ‘over-stretched’ the medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his knee, which is a good sign because first fears were that he had ruptured it.
Hutton, who is out of contract at the end of the season following eight years at the club, is still set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines, though.
“He’ll be out for a number of weeks,” Smith confirmed. “I’m hoping we will have him back before the end of the season but that’s hoping more than anything.
“It’s not as bad as first feared. The MRI scan has suggested it is not a full rupture of the MCL, which is good news for him and ourselves. But he’s certainly over-stretched that area.”
Hutton, a cult hero at Villa, is now facing an anxious wait to find out whether he has a future at the club. The right-back’s contract expires in the summer and Smith said discussions over a new deal are yet to take place.
There was some good news for Villa, however, with Smith confirming Jack Grealish is available for Saturday’s game with Derby at Villa Park.
The 23-year-old has trained this week and will be in the squad following ten weeks on the sidelines.
Smith said: “Whether he starts or not, we’ll wait and see. He’s worked really hard to get himself into contention and has trained well.
“It’s been well-documented, resultswise, that we haven’t been as good without Jack. I don’t put it just down to his absence.
“We’ve been without James Chester, Axel Tuanzebe (through injury) and Yannick Bolasie (who ended his loan spell early) too.
“But I believe Jack is the best player in the league and any team who loses a player of that quality will suffer.
“We’ve suffered a bit without him so it will be nice to have him back.”
Villa have won just two games from a possible 14 without their star man.