Aston Villa’s Tom Carroll hasn’t been able to make a big impact.
Aston Villa boss Dean Smith has told the Birmingham Mail that midfielder Tom Carroll has been struggling with a hip injury, hence his lack of playing time.
Villa were busy in January as they brought in Lovre Kalinic, Kortney Hause and Tyrone Mings, but also wanted a midfielder on deadline day.
A number of players were linked, but Villa eventually ended up signing Swansea City midfielder Tom Carroll, taking him on loan until the end of the season.
The 26-year-old made just eight starts for Swansea in the first half of the season, and had been hoping to really kick on with a move to Villa Park.
He made his debut as a substitute against Reading just days later, but has played just once since then, again as a substitute, against Bristol City last month.
Many have been left wondering just where Carroll is. The ex-Spurs man was brought in by Smith, but has played just 35 minutes of action in more than two months under his management.
Now, Smith has attempted to clear up the situation, admitting that Carroll has endured a ‘stop-start’ time with Villa, breaking down a couple of times with a hip problem.
Smith added that he thinks Carroll is a ‘fantastic’ player who rarely loses possession of the ball, and find his start to life at Villa Park frustrating as a permanent move seems somewhat unlikely now.
“Unfortunately Tom has had a bit of a stop-start time with us,” said Smith. “He got injured in his first game and was coming back from a hip injury. He has broken down a couple of times since. But he is a fantastic footballer. We all saw that when he came on against Derby.”
“That is why we brought him in. He is one who can keep the ball ticking. He very rarely loses possession and can see a forward pass. That is why we wanted to bring him in. But it has been a little bit stop-start so far for him and ourselves,” he added.
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