One player who has previously represented Aston Villa has taken up a surprising line of work four years after leaving the club.
Aston Villa have undergone a significant change over the past two years, as Steven Gerrard was replaced by Unai Emery in the managerial role.
The Spaniard returned to the Premier League in October 2022 after Gerrard was sacked and has since proven he is the right man for the job.
It could go down as a historic hiring for the Villans, who haven’t always got recruitment quite right, be that on the touchline or in the squad.
- READ MORE: Gabby Agbonlahor warns new Aston Villa signing he is ‘probably not going to start’ under Unai Emery
Former Aston Villa loanee Danny Drinkwater shares new line of work after retiring
During the 2020 January transfer window, Dean Smith welcomed Danny Drinkwater to Villa from Chelsea on a half-season loan.
In what was a time of an injury crisis at Villa Park, Smith heralded Drinkwater as a player that would ‘significantly’ bolster the squad.
Sadly, Smith’s initial thoughts couldn’t have been further from the truth as the two-time Premier League winner made four appearances for the Villans that season.
Having left Villa Park as a sorry figure that summer, Drinkwater’s career never picked up again, seeing him retire in 2023.
Despite being out of work on the pitch, the Englishman is not far from employment outside of professional football, as he posted on his Instagram this week.
The 34-year-old pictured himself working on a site on his story, seeing someone comment “Danny you’ve hit rock bottom”.
The former Villa outsider replied to the message publicly, by saying, “Some of these messages, behaveee. I love being on site grafting! It’s a choice.”
Drinkwater’s career sadly plummeted after leaving Leicester City
During his time at Villa, Drinkwater was earning a wage of £60k-a-week, which saw him rank as the club’s second-highest earner at the time.
It’s mindblowing to think that the former Leicester and Chelsea midfielder is now working outside of football, whether it be by choice or not.
Equally, it’s a refreshing perspective to see, with Drinkwater presumably being a wealthy man who has accepted that his career devastatingly plummeted after he left the King Power Stadium.
Still, his new colleagues will surely be thrilled to have a two-time Premier League winner in their presence, with the former Villa loanee certainly surprising many with his new career path.
