Defender knows his future does not lie at Villa Park

According to the Birmingham Mail, Ritchie De Laet has no hopes of ever playing for Aston Villa again.

The 30-year-old right-back was deemed surplus to requirements by Steve Bruce, so he was shipped out on loan to play for Melbourne City in the Australian A-League. He has been in fine form Down Under – he has even scored 6 goals in the 14 matches that he has played.

De Laet’s Villa contract comes to an end in the summer and it is likely that he will be told by Dean Smith that he has no future at Villa Park.

This will come as no surprise to the former Belgian international and when talking about it, he said:

At the end of the season I’m out of contract, so I’m playing for a contract somewhere next season. I’m going to keep putting in the performances to get a move somewhere in the summer.