Houllier resolves Carew row

Aston Villa boss Gerard Houllier has rejected talk that John Carew may have played his last game for the club after their much-publicised row.

Houllier and Carew were involved in a public war of words before and after the weekend clash with Fulham at Craven Cottage.

Outspoken Villa star Carew had accused Houllier of being disrespectful after being challenged to prove he deserved a new contract.

Houllier responded to the comments by accusing Carew of “being stupid” and “living in the past.”

The pair met on Monday to try and resolve the matter and Houllier is now drawing a line under the incident after claiming his views on Carew were taken out of context.

“We had a meeting with the whole team to clarify things,” said Houllier.

“There was a discrepancy between my words which were full of praise for John Carew, and what was put up in the Norwegian press.
Clarified
“John realised that, and that had to be clarified in front of everybody.

“The matter is over. I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

Carew is currently out of action for several weeks with a calf problem, but Houllier insists he remains part of his plans when he returns to fitness.

When asked if Carew would play for Villa again, Houllier said: “He is a player for Aston Villa and when he is fit, he will be in contention for playing.”