Aston Villa defender Jlloyd Samuel has revealed how he has played through injuries for the majority of the season for the good of the club.
The England Under-21 international was responding to criticism of his form after learning that he had come "in for a bit of stick" for below-par performances this season.
Samuel was one of the club's star players last campaign and certainly among the Premiership's most consistent performers, but has failed to reproduce the same form during a season blighted by injuries.
"I've battled on through injury this season for the good of Aston Villa," Samuel told the club's official website.
"I've been told that I've been coming in for a bit of stick. I haven't heard anything about it to be honest. I didn't even know about it.
"In response to that, I feel my form has been up and down this season. I've done okay, yet it's not been easy playing through injuries.
"We've not really had a lot of cover so I chose to just keep playing on, even though my groin was giving me really bad trouble.
"I've been doing rehabilitation work for most of the season, and the problem has eased a lot lately. I'm just getting on with it to be honest."
