The 22-year-old England international missed just three Premier League games due to suspension, with O'Neill still trying to broker a permanent deal for Carson, who is rated at £10million by parent club Liverpool.

O'Neill told the Birmingham Mail: "We have a number of issues. Scott is not our player and Liverpool have the right to do what they see fit at the moment.

"What I would say is that he has come here this season and, other than being sent off in one game against Manchester United, he has played all the games possible.

"He played 35 out of 38 games in the league and overall I am really pleased he came to us.

"Scott came in and he had a lot to face up to in terms of having played for England in his tenure here. All the England players, especially him, were blamed for their failure to qualify.

"Then he had the next couple of weeks where he was under pressure. I thought he coped with that pretty well."

Meanwhile, the Villa boss has confirmed that he may move for another keeper even if he manages to land Carson.

O'Neill added: "The goalkeeper situation is one that we are obviously looking at.

"Thomas Sorensen has left and I personally feel that we should have three goalkeepers anyway. Most teams have three.

"When a goalkeeper is not in the team he is not best happy, but it is a specialised position and the chopping and changing is a lot less in the course of a year than as an outfield player, who might be able to play in a number of positions."