Conor Hourihane has issued a heart-felt message about his Aston Villa future. The popular 30-year-old has revealed his career at Villa Park will come to an end when his contract expires at the end of the season. He scored 29 goals and recorded 23 assists in 151 appearances across all competitions for Villa, and after sealing his second loan move of the year, Hourihane released a heartfelt message on Instagram.
Conor Hourihane said: “My time as an @avfcofficial player has come to an end. An incredible four and a half years at the club. Arriving mid table in the Championship and now the club going from strength to strength in the Premier League is something I’m proud to have been a part of. I gave everything for the club while I was there. From our play-off final defeat to our play-off final win. Our Carabao Cup loss to our final day great escape. It’s been an amazing journey. Special times and special memories that will stay with me forever. I wish the club nothing but the best moving forward and I’ll be watching on now as a fan! UTV.”
Villa’s all time record Premier League top scorer Gabriel Agbonlahor has explained Hourihane’s thinking behind leaving Villa in search of regular football elsewhere, despite entering the final year of his deal.
Gabriel Agbonlahor said: “That’s him done now. I don’t think he’s going to go back to Aston Villa. He’s posted on Instagram that he’s left for good. Conor Hourihane will have had an honest conversation with the manager and said ‘Am I going to play this season?’ And the manager has probably said ‘No’. Conor has thought he wants to play football games, Conor wants to do that. He’s not a player that can come on in games, he will want to start games. He won’t want to just sit around and not play. It suits Conor and I’m happy for him to go to Sheffield United, get them winning games and hopefully get them promoted.”
