PLAYER PROFILE

Lee Carsley

Position: Midfield

Height: 5'9

Weight: 12st 0lbs

Date of Birth: 1974-02-28 Birmingham, England

Lee Carsley

Carsley began his career at Derby County where he made a name for himself as a tough tackling, anchoring midfielder. His reputation earned him a £3.5 million move to Blackburn Rovers' where, after a slow start, he flourished. He was made club captain under Tony Parkes during the 1999/00 season and revelled in his role of penalty taker - scoring a number of key goals.

His ability to shield the defence whilst also getting forward to support the forwards saw him emerge as one of the best midfielders in the first division, and cement his place in the Republic of Ireland squad. A combination of his penalties and good sense of when to join in attacks saw him crowned top scorer at Ewood Park in 1999/00.

Blackburn fans were upset when their star player handed in a transfer request during the summer and although he later retracted it, Carsley struggled to command a regular first team place under Souness. But the Republic of Ireland remains a quality player, and so Gordon Strachan didn't have to think twice about taking the midfielder to Highfield Road.

He moved to Everton in February 2002, in a bid to toughen up their midfield as they battled against relegation. It worked, as they were steered clear of the drop zone by David Moyes. Carsley was included in the Republic of Ireland's World Cup squad, but an injury in a warm-up game meant that he did not play in the finals.

He missed the start of the season for Everton, but was soon back in action and was again impressive as he helped David Moyes team into a much more respectable finish, albeit with the disappointment of missing out on the UEFA Cup.

He missed a fair bit of the 2003/04 season because of a recurring knee injury as he made only 25 appearances. The 2004/05 campaign, however, proved to a more successful one. He made 41 appearances and scored 5 goals, including the winner in the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.

However, his injury problems came back to haunt him again in 2005/06, and he didn't play his first game of the season until February. His campaign ended just as badly as he was sent off against Chelsea in April...

He recovered from this in 2006/07 though as he was a regular in the Everton first eleven. He made 42 appearances for David Moyes' men, scoring one goal. He is now a vital part of the team.