Aston Villa have come to the defence of Alan Hutton after facing criticism from West Bromwich Albion boss Roy Hodgson.

The 26-year-old was slammed by the Baggies boss after a tackle on Shane Long, which resulted in a six-week layoff for the former Reading star.

Despite the incident, Villa assistant manager Peter Grant has said that the former Tottenham Hotspur player is not "aggressive".

"I know how Alan has been painted but he's not that type of player," said Grant. "People haven't said in the past that Alan is aggressive, goes over the ball and is a dirty full-back.

"I don't think anybody has ever said that in his career. They've said he is an attacking full-back who likes to get forward.

"I think his biggest problem sometimes is that he's desperate to hit the ground running in games. There's that impatience in his game."

The Midlands side travel to the Stadium of Light this Saturday to play Sunderland in the Premier League.