Carew tips Heskey to hit top form

25 June 2009 09:24
Heskey struggled to make a telling impact after his £3.5million move from Wigan in January - and he also suffered Achilles and hamstring setbacks. But Carew, who finished as Villa's leading scorer for the second season running with 15 goals, feels O'Neill was right to bring the England forward in. The Norwegian international said: "At the time, I was injured - and we obviously needed a new striker. Emile is a great player, and I think it was a great move from the club to get him here in January. "It definitely improved the competition, and you need plenty of good players at a football club. It made every player - particularly those of us up front - raise their levels. "There's no doubt he's been a great signing - 100%. You always need a bit of time to settle in and find your feet. "It took me about six months after I came to Villa from Lyon. You are at a new club with new players. "I am sure Emile has yet to reach his peak here - but he has a lot to offer because he is a really, really good footballer. I am sure we will see that even more next season." Carew is optimistic about the 2009-2010 campaign, despite the loss of captain Martin Laursen and midfielder Gareth Barry. He said: "It is a very important season for Aston Villa next season. But we improved last season, and the players here are getting better and better. "We have got some fantastic young talent."

Source: Team_Talk