'I was banished from Aston Villa first-team – the manager apologised for how I was treated'

Joleon Lescott has revealed that he was banned "for no reason" from the Aston Villa first team, a decision which later led to an apology from Roberto Di Matteo . Lescott spent a single season at his boyhood club, making 31 appearances and scoring twice.

He also turned out once for Villa's under-21s in a 1-0 defeat against Wolves ' under-23s in Premier League 2. However, Lescott's stint in Birmingham was marred by controversy as Villa faced relegation during the 2015/16 season.

This drop down led to an infamous remark from the defender , who described the relegation to the Championship as a "weight off the shoulders" for the team. The former Villa star's performances were widely criticised by supporters and the press alike.

There was further backlash following his social media post about a luxury car , posted just after Villa suffered a 6-0 thrashing at home by Liverpool . Lescott insisted that the tweet was unintentional , claiming it was sent while his mobile was in his pocket.

Appearing on In The Mixer , brought to you by SkyBet, the 43-year-old detailed his experience at Villa and compared it to Alexander Isak's contract drama at Newcastle . The podcast host admitted that many managers and players grapple with intense emotions in football, something that is not always appreciated by those on the outside.

Lescott said: "I was told at Villa I couldn't train with the first team for no reason. No reason at all. It was just, 'Oh, just train, go and train with the reserves.'

"I would have stayed at Villa, but because they said that to me, I was like, I can't come in and train with reserves. I'm not a bad professional, regardless if I was going to get picked or not. That wasn't like - I need to play. I need to know."

Guest Carlton Cole went on to shift some of the responsibility for this awkward situation away from the coaching staff, highlighting that such decisions originate from much higher up within the club hierarchy. He said: "And that's the other side of the game where people don't understand, players have feelings.

"Like I keep on saying this, we are human beings at the end of the day. And when certain things happen at a football club in board room level, then it trickles down into the coaches. Some of the coaches feel bad that they're doing that to you."

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Lescott revealed that his Villa boss at the time, Di Matteo, eventually offered his apologies years later, and even requested the former defender to relay the same message to ex-Villa star Micah Richards. He said: "This is a mad story.

"Now you've said that, that is crazy. Yeah. Because at the the time Di Matteo was the manager of Villa, and I seen him, was it two years ago, the game at Stamford Bridge for Ukraine ?

"So I was playing in that, and he came to me and he said I just want to apologise. I said just want to apologise for the way I treated you at Aston Villa and when you see Micah, tell him the same thing, and I was just like [taken aback].

"Granted, he was being told [what to do] because he made me go and train with the reserves, he's getting told that, 'He can't be involved in the squads, like we need to do what we do to get them out,' and stuff like that

"So, it does happen, and managers are human and they're influenced by the board, and for a lot of people, like fans, players, and coaches, it's like we have an emotional attachment to it."

Cole added: "Remember he was getting paid [to listen to the hierarchy]."

Drawing parallels between his Villa disappointment and the Isak saga, Lescott said: "But the people above that, it's business. And from a business perspective, if Isak wants a certain amount of money, and you haven't got it.

"Then if you value him at a certain amount, you need to pay him at the amount you value. You can't say, 'We want X amount of money,' but then pay him [less], keeping the money that he's on. You've got to, you can't have it both ways."

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