Alan Hutton signs new deal at Aston Villa

The 33-year-old defender, whose current contract was due to expire at the end of the month, has agreed terms on a new one-year deal.

It is understood the Scot has taken a significant pay cut to remain at Villa Park, even turning down the offer of a more lucrative, two-year deal at Nottingham Forest.

Hutton, who has been at Villa since 2011, expressed his delight at extending his career with the club into an eighth season.

“It’s all I ever wanted. I am still taking it in,” he told the club’s official website. “There is no other place I wanted to be. I am over the moon, to be honest.

“I have a special feeling for the club. The relationship with the fans, it really spurs me on. It’s a special club with a massive history. I feel a special bond and I want to be part of it.”

Hutton’s future had been the subject of much speculation following Villa’s defeat to Fulham in last month’s Championship play-off final.

The club’s failure to reach the Premier League triggered a cash crisis, with the club last week coming within a whisker of being hit with a winding-up order by HMRC after missing a tax payment.

Against that backdrop, Hutton’s new deal can only be seen as a big step in the right direction.

It is also the clearest indication so far Steve Bruce, who had been keen for Hutton to be given a new deal, will be staying as the Villa’s manager, though there has still been no official backing from the club’s owner, Tony Xia.

Hutton admitted the past few weeks, in the wake of the Wembley defeat, had been hard.

He said: “I have found it tough. I have grown to love the club and it really hurt me deep afterward. I am still coming to terms with it. We have to move forward.

“Obviously there is going to be speculation. For me it was all about waiting. I would waited as long as possible, as long as I had to.

“Fortunately for me, it came quick. I am thankful for that. Steve Round and the manager worked hard to get it done.”