32-year-old says he knows why Aston Villa got rid of him, like Mourinho at Man United

 

Former Aston Villa star Brett Holman believes Paul Lambert let him leave the club because he was signed by the previous manager Alex McLeish. Holman joined Aston Villa in 2012, but spent just a few months under McLeish before Lambert was installed as the new boss at Villa Park.

In an interview with Foxsports, Holman said he believes Lambert never really wanted him at the club because if he was a success than McLeish may have got the credit. Holman thinks this is common in England because managers tend to bring in their players, unlike with sporting directors on the continent.

Holman went on to say an example of this was the way Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has frozen out Bastian Schweinsteiger because he was a major signing by Louis van Gaal.

“In Holland and Europe it’s really different, signings don’t go off the manager, they go off the whole technical department, and philosophy of the club. In England, the manager signs wholly. Paul Lambert comes in and doesn’t want to prove the last manager right because of the last guy’s signing. That’s how it works in England. Like Man United, Mourinho brings in Zlatan, he wants to get Schweinsteiger out, van Gaal’s signing,” said the former Aston Villa midfielder.

Despite Lambert coming in to replace McLeis,h Holman still made 27 league appearances for Aston Villa in just over a year. However, the 32-year-old left the club by mutual consent in 2013 to sign for Al Nasr.