Hutton tips Hourihane to quit Aston Villa in double exit after Smith update
Alan Hutton has tipped Aston Villa to let Conor Hourihane and Frederic Guilbert leave before next week’s transfer deadline day.
The former Villa defender, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, admitted the pair are unlikely to play much should they stay.
As quoted by Birmingham Live (20th August), manager Dean Smith confirmed there are a “couple of players” that will likely leave Villa Park before the August 31st deadline.
Emi Buendia, Danny Ings, Leon Bailey, Axel Tuanzebe and Ashley Young have all joined the Villans this summer.
Jack Grealish has left for Manchester City, while Mbwanna Samatta, Bjorn Engels, Tom Heaton, Neil Taylor and Ahmed Elmohamady have also departed.
Hutton suggested fringe players like Hourihane and Guilbert could leave in the coming days.
“We know Conor has been a fantastic servant for Villa, and he brings qualities to the side,” he told Football Insider‘s Russell Edge.
“But he will want and to play football at his age and he isn’t going to get many opportunities with Villa, it’s as simple as that.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if he went out on loan this season.
“It also hasn’t quite worked out for Guilbert at the club.
“Elmohamedy has moved on but Matty Cash has come in ahead of him. There’s also Ashley Young who can fill in on the right.
“I’ve not seen Guilbert involved much in pre-season so maybe it is time that he thinks about moving on.”
Hourihane, who joined from Barnsley in 2017, made just four Premier League appearances last season.
Guilbert, 26, failed to register a single game in the top flight in 2020-21.
Both were loaned out for the second half of the season, enjoying spells at Swansea and Strasbourg respectively.
In other news, Noel Whelan has backed Aston Villa to move for “the final piece of the jigsaw”.