Alan Hutton has penned a three-year deal with Aston Villa.
The right-back had previously been frozen out for two years and had not played under boss Paul Lambert until this season.
He was loaned out to Nottingham Forest, Real Mallorca and Bolton and looked to have no future at Villa Park.
"I kept my head down, worked hard, came in every day and it has paid off," Hutton told the club's official website. "Now I just want to go on and take this opportunity given me by the manager.
"Like everybody else here, I've always trained hard so I've been able to come back strong this season and the benefits of that have been excellent for me.
"We've made a really strong start to the season and we want to continue in the same vein.
"The squad has depth and a great mix of youth and experience which should stand us in good stead over the rest of the season."
