Former Aston Villa boss Tim Sherwood was a big fan of Tom Carroll.
Sherwood, who used to manage Villa, worked with Carroll during his younger years at Tottenham Hotspur.
And Sherwood felt that Villa’s deadline day signing could become just like Luka Modric.
“We miss that player – I’m not saying (Mousa) Dembele can’t do it because he can pick it up and he can dribble – but we miss someone who moves that ball and passes it between the lines very quickly, and he assists the assister,” he said back in 2014.
“Gareth Bale needed that ball very quickly and I think Luka Modric got it to him very quickly. I think Tom Carroll was that player – he can do that, absolutely. I tried to bring Tom back (in January), it just wasn’t possible.”
Carroll never has really fulfilled that potential, but he could still be a very astute addition for Villa.
When fit the England under-21 international is an excellent player at Championship level, who can dictate games with his passing ability.
With Smith demanding a possession based approach at Villa Park, Carroll could slot into the team well.
And the 26-year-old could even make his claret and blues debut tomorrow, when Villa take on Reading at the Madejski Stadium.
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