Alan Hutton has returned to full training for Aston Villa, with the defender shaking off a hamstring issue to hand Steve Bruce’s side a boost ahead of the final eight fixtures of the season. 

The club moved to announce the news on Twitter this morning (@AVFCOfficial), confirming that Hutton was back in full training for the first time since late February.

Injury forced Hutton from the field in Villa’s 4-2 victory over Sheffield Wednesday last month, with the Scottish defender forced to sit out the club’s last four Sky Bet Championship fixtures.

In the absence of the consistent defender, Villa have endured indifferent results, winning twice and losing twice, as their automatic promotion push hit a bump in the road.

Despite victories over Sunderland and Wolves, Villa have failed to build and suffered back-to-back defeats against Queens Park Rangers and Bolton Wanderers prior to the international break.

Hutton will be returning to a side sitting fourth in the Championship table and seven points adrift of the automatic promotion places ahead of the run-in.

The Verdict  

In Villa’s best run of form this season, Hutton was featuring at left-back, with the Scot producing some magnificent performances for Bruce’s side.

However, in his absence, inconsistency has been creeping into Villa’s game, and Neil Taylor’s absence against Bolton last time out gave Bruce’s side a big problem.

Ahead of a crucial run-in, Hutton’s return will be big for Villa.

Aston Villa fans… Let us know your thoughts!