Carew expecting Heskey to 'peak'

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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 has faith in the England forward, now his initial settling in period is behind him.

The Norwegian international said: "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. 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."

He added: "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.

"It took me about six months after I came to Villa from Lyon. You are at a new club with new players."

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."