Alan Hutton has claimed that he was "wasting away" at Aston Villa before he joined Real Mallorca on loan.

The 28-year-old defender moved to Spain in January on a deal until the end of the season after falling out of favour with Villa boss Paul Lambert.

"I can savour these times more because of the frustrations I've been through," Hutton is quoted as saying by The Sun. "I was training with the kids at Villa and thought 'What am I doing here?'

"To go from doing nothing at Villa — feeling as if I was wasting away — to be playing Real Madrid the next minute, makes it more special."

Hutton signed for Villa in summer 2011 following a three-year spell with Tottenham Hotspur.