Morgan Sanson told his Aston Villa career is not over under Steven Gerrard

All the latest Aston Villa news as BirminghamLive brings you an exclusive interview with Alan Hutton

Patrick Rowe Football Writer

12:25, 18 Jul 2022Updated 12:25, 18 Jul 2022

Morgan Sanson of Aston Villa looks on during the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Wolves at Villa Park

Former Aston Villa defender Alan Hutton has backed Morgan Sanson to break into Steven Gerrard's first team squad, but has insisted it will take a 'strong mentality' to replicate the Scottish defender's resurgence at Villa Park.

Hutton signed for Villa from Tottenham Hotspur in August 2011 with the defender stating it was the 'only place he wanted to go' upon his arrival to reunite with his former Rangers manager Alex McLeish. However, after a disappointing season for the squad, McLeish was relieved of his duties in May 2012 with Paul Lambert taking over as his successor.

Hutton's future at the club was already in doubt after a turbulent beginning to life in the Midlands, and these doubts were only emphasised after Lambert secured the signing of Sheffield United right-back Matthew Lowton. Ten days after Lowton's arrival, the Scotsman was excluded from the managers 25-man squad at Villa with the writing seemingly on the wall regarding his future in claret and blue.

Due to first team opportunities looking limited at the club, Hutton pursued a number of loan moves away from B6 with stints at Nottingham Forest, Spanish side Mallorca and Bolton Wanderers, before making an inspired return to the Villa squad in 2014 after impressive showings within pre-season, going on to earn a new three-year deal in September of that year.

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One player that has also experienced a tough time since arriving at Villa has been French midfielder Sanson, who after signing in January 2020 in a deal worth £14 million, has been limited to just six starts for both Dean Smith and Steven Gerrard due to injuries. The 27-year-old midfielder has now been linked with a similar exit to Hutton, with Turkish side Galatasaray reportedly interested in a potential loan deal for the former Olympique de Marseille man.

However, speaking exclusively to BirminghamLive as part of the latest Sky Bet Fan Hope Survey, Hutton believes Sanson can replicate his resurgence back into the first team at Villa, however has highlighted the 'strong mentality' the player will need to do so.

He said: "I don't see why he can't, it's all up to him now. I think that you have to have a strong mentality, I went through what I would describe as a rollercoaster at Aston Villa. You have ups and downs but it's how you deal with it and how you move forward.

"I decided that I would just go try and show everybody that I was capable of playing within that team and I think Morgan Sanson is more than capable. He's got that ability to be a goalscoring midfielder that Steven Gerrard is looking for but he's been hampered by injuries last season so it has taken him a bit longer to settle.

"Your form can dip, it's quite as simple as that but I think there is an opportunity for him here if he goes and has a good pre-season where he can go and catch the eye of the manager. It's really up to him and he needs to go and attack it with whatever he's got because obviously there is a good player within there."

The Sky Bet Fan Hope Survey aimed to display each fanbase and their levels of optimism ahead of the 2022/23 Premier League season. Villa ranked 13th in terms of the fanbases' optimism going into the new campaign, with a score of 6.4 recorded. The figures were taken on a scale of 1-10 (1 being not optimistic at all, 10 being very optimistic).

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The research was completed by Sky Bet and YouGov as part of their Fan Hopes campaign. The research asked fans of each Premier League team a series of questions about their expectations of the new season. Fans can see more exciting and exclusive content in the Sky Bet Fan Hope Hub.

Can Sanson break into the starting XI? Have your say in the comments section...

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