Aston Villa: Nicolo Zaniolo wows amid serious allegations hanging over his head
We’re delighted to welcome former Aston Villa full-back Alan Hutton as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at Villa Park…
Alan Hutton has been impressed by Nicolo Zaniolo’s performances despite admitting he doesn’t know how the Aston Villa star is coping with the allegations surrounding him.
Zaniolo, 24, is mixed up in the Italian betting scandal with Sandro Tonali and Nicolo Fagiolo already facing lengthy bans for their roles.
It’s been a bit more quiet regarding Zaniolo. However, the on-loan midfielder is under investiation and he could still be hit with a ban if found guilty of any wrongdoing.
Despite this, Zaniolo played for Aston Villa in their 4-1 win over West Ham on Sunday (22 October) with the Galatasaray loanee playing 76 minutes before he was substituted off by Unai Emery.
Villa have so far supported Zaniolo and despite the cloud of uncertainty hanging over his head, Hutton has been happy with what he’s seen from the Italian so far.
“I don’t think it’s affected him too much,” Hutton told Villa News.
“I thought he played well, he had some good touches and he got forward.
“He’s a very skilful player and he kind of fits into that team the way Emi Buendia did.
“It must be difficult because when you’ve got something like that grinding you, it can be very hard to switch off.
“Some people might find it difficult to switch off. Some people think football is the switch off to make you not think about anything else and you can just concentrate on that.
“It just depends on the character you are and how you are as a person.
“From the outside looking in, it doesn’t look to have affected him that much. I think we’re still seeing the same Zaniolo but moving forward.
“I’ve got no idea what’s going to happen with him. I’ve not had any details about how he’s invovled so it’s hard to speak about it. But the only thing I can do is talk about how he’s been on the pitch and he’s looked his normal self.”
In other Aston Villa news, the ball is in this player’s court after a reported behind-the-scenes bust-up with Unai Emery.