Carew hoping to prove point

The Norwegian international was on the verge of a £7.5m move to Fulham from Valencia in 2002 but the deal collapsed following reports of a career-threatening knee injury. Instead he remained in Spain, and the 30-year-old is happy at how things panned out, telling the club's official website: "I almost joined Fulham but I'm happy I didn't. I went back to Valencia and had a very goof season so it worked out better for me."

Carew claimed two Spanish titles with Valencia, and is determined to help Villa move forwards. "We need some wins. We've played some god football, created plenty of chances and we've been unlucky. We've conceded some soft goals but we need a few adjustments to pick up more points. I'm confident we can."