Villa’s hopes of keeping Barry 50/50, says Carew
After enduring a mixed reception at Walsall in midweek, Barry had the Holte End firmly behind him as Villa took another significant step towards a place in the UEFA Cup by winning their Intertoto Cup clash with Odense on Saturday..
Ashley Young’s second-half thunderbolt proved enough to give the hosts a win which takes them into Friday’s UEFA Cup second qualifying round draw.
And given the rousing ovation Barry received and the lack of progress Liverpool have made in tying up an £18million (€22.8m) deal for the England international, there is a growing belief around the West Midlands he will remain where he is.
“I think it is 50-50,” said Carew. “We all hope Gareth stays because he is such an amazing player and I definitely do because I really enjoy playing with him. The fans certainly could not have done any more.”
Martin O’Neill has advised Barry to remain at Villa Park for another year to see if the club can match his ambitions of a top four place.
All Carew can do is cross his fingers and hope, having been through similar situations so many times in the past he realises it is counterproductive to spend too much time thinking about it.
“Gareth is a good professional and a great player,” said Carew.
“He can handle any situation and I am happy to see him playing again.
“He will just go out there and do his job in exactly the same way as he always does and we will just wait to see what happens.”
With Brad Friedel’s arrival from Blackburn on a three-year deal now complete, Villa appear to be heading in the right direction although the loss of Wilfred Bouma to a sickening dislocated ankle is a major blow.
“It was terrible to see Wilfred in so much pain,” said Carew of the Dutchman’s clash with Baye Djiby Fall which left his right ankle pointing in the wrong direction.
“It was a horrible situation and awful for him. But while you feel sorry for your teammate, you have to try and focus on the game to make sure you win.”
ASTON VILLA: Taylor, Gardner, Laursen, Knight, Bouma (Barry 14), Petrov, Reo-Coker, Sidwell, Young, Agbonlahor, Carew.
ODENSE BK: Onyszko, Helveg (Ruud 46), Haland, Troest, Sorensen, Andreasen (Bolanos 75), Djemba-Djemba, Henrik Hansen, Absalonsen, Runstrom (Jacobsen 81), Fall.
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