John Carew says Aston Villa were right to sell Zat Knight

Nov 6 2009 by Lisa Smith, Birmingham Mail

JOHN Carew insists Villa were right to sell defender Zat Knight in the summer, even though he now has to deal with him on the opposing side in tomorrow’s clash with Bolton.

Villa’s giant Norwegian centre-forward stands at 6ft 4in – taller than most top-flight players.

But even he will be in the shadow of Knight, the Villa defender who left for the Reebok in August and who is a massive 6ft 6in.

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Carew believes Knight will be back with a point to prove after his £4 million move to Lancashire but the striker feels manager Martin O’Neill made the right decision to sell him.

Fans’ favourite Carew believes the defenders brought in to replace Knight have done so much already to improve the team.

Like the Villa faithful, Carew feels the arrival of Richard Dunne and James Collins has proved a match made in heaven so far with O’Neill even suggesting he might finally have found a replacement for “Lionheart” defender Martin Laursen. Carew said: “It’s a big game for Zat and it’s back at Villa Park. He is maybe the tallest defender in the Premier League so I will have a big challenge in the air.

“I know he is at least a couple of inches bigger than  me so it will be an aerial battle.”

Carew feels that the new centre-backs are the difference in Villa’s form this season, even if that undermines Knight.

“The ones who have come in for him have done even better so I guess it was the right decision for the team,” Carew said.