Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill has admitted that John Carew is no longer an automatic selection.
Villa boss happy with strength of squad
Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill has admitted that John Carew is no longer an automatic selection.
The Norwegian striker has been a key player for Villa since moving from Lyon in January 2007.
He penned a contract extension over the summer and made a fine start to the season, but has been left out in recent weeks.
Back and thigh problems have not helped Carew's cause but in his absence Villa have been very impressive.
They have beaten Arsenal and drawn with Manchester United in their last two games, with O'Neill favouring a 4-5-1 formation.
Carew is now fully fit again but O'Neill has warned the 29-year-old that it could be difficult to regain his place in the side.
"For us to start without John Carew would have been unheard of a few weeks ago," O'Neill said in
The Sun.
"But Gabby Agbonlahor has played a couple of games on his own up front and our performance in winning at Arsenal and drawing with United has given the boys belief."
