SAMIR CARRUTHERS’ career has been somewhat unconventional to date, with the MK Dons midfielder already boasting Arsenal and Aston Villa on his CV.
Despite being only 22, the Republic of Ireland Under-21 international has experienced quite a lot in his burgeoning career, leaving Arsenal for Aston Villa as a teenager and then swapping the Premier League for League One with MK Dons.
Not many youngsters turn down the chance to stay at Arsenal, but that is exactly what Carruthers did and it was a case of one step back to try and make two steps forward.
Right now, he’s preparing for a massive 12 months for himself personally and for his latest club. MK Dons are preparing for a historic maiden campaign in England’s second tier and if they are to surprise those who have tipped them to struggle in the Championship, Carruthers will have to display the performances that have seen him earmarked as one of the best young talents in English soccer.
Having started out at Cambridge United’s youth team, midfielder Carruthers moved to Premier League giants Arsenal in 2005 after Cambridge opted to abandon their youth set-up.
The skilful midfielder made an impression at Arsenal’s academy during his four years at the Gunners, but made the brave decision at the age of 19 to turn the down the offer of a professional deal at the Emirates to move to Aston Villa.
London-born Carruthers — who is of Irish, Italian and Moroccan descent — was highly-regarded within the corridors of power at Villa and it was no surprise to see him quickly elevated into the first-team.
After impressing in the academy and reserve sides at Villa, the youngster was promoted to the fringes of the first-team in the 2011-12 campaign, culminating in Carruthers making his Premier League debut as a substitute in a 1-1 draw with Liverpool at Anfield in April 2012.
Two further appearances followed at the back end of that season, but an upheaval with a change in the management hotseat at Villa Park saw the talented midfielder drop out of the first-team picture.
Despite finding himself out of favour in the first-team, Carruthers did not let the disappointment get to him as he captained Villa’s youth side to success in the prestigious NextGen series.
At the start of the 2013-14 season Carruthers took up the opportunity to go out on loan to MK Dons, where he began to flourish under the tutelage of Karl Robinson.
Carruthers made 23 appearances for MK Dons that season and Robinson saw enough in the all-action performer to sign him on a three-year deal the following summer.
His second season for the Dons proved to be a memorable one as he played a key role in achieving the greatest feat in their fledgling history as they won promotion to the Championship.
Even more emphasis will be placed on Carruthers next season with Dele Alli having left the club permanently after returning on loan in January following his big-money move to Tottenham.
Alli will undoubtedly be missed, but Carruthers has shown he is ready to step up and fill the void and you would not rule out the player being one of the stars in the Football League next season.
MK Dons boss Robinson is a huge admirer of Carruthers and believes he has so much ability that he is almost a certainty to play in the Premier League once again with or without the Dons.
“We knew he was full of quality and excitement and that’s the reason why we bought him,” Robinson said last season.
“He’s one that you don’t see a lot of early on but if you persevere with him and give him the belief and believe in him and give him the love that he needs, the performances will come.
“He’s a top player and I believe one day he will play in the Premier League.”
Carruthers did have a brief taste of the Premier League before at Aston Villa and he seems destined to get back to those heights in the very near future.
His international career, much like his club career, has also been unconventional, with the player having the choice of four countries to play for.
Carruthers is eligible to play for Italy, Morocco and England, but the midfielder opted to pledge his international allegiance to the Republic of Ireland instead.
He has represented the Republic at Under-19 and Under-21 level and he was a member of the Irish Under-19 side that reached the semi-finals of the 2011 European Championships in Romania.
The next step up is the senior Republic of Ireland side, and playing in the Championship will only enhance his chances of catching the eye of Martin O’Neill, who has shown in his tenure that he is not afraid to give younger players an opportunity if they are performing for their club.
In 12 months’ time, when we reflect on MK Dons’ first ever Championship campaign, we could well be talking about Samir Carruthers as a Premier League star in the making, and perhaps one of the mainstays of the Republic of Ireland senior side.
