Scott Carson believes the future is bright at Villa Park - whether he returns next season or not.

The England goalkeeper has now completed his season-long loan from Barclays Premier League rivals Liverpool and is proud to have played his part in a top-six finish.

Carson is not yet sure where he will be plying his trade next season, but is convinced Martin O'Neill's young squad can only go from strength to strength.

He said: "It's been good for me at Villa. We have got into the Intertoto Cup and maybe with a bit of luck we could have got straight into Europe.

"But finishing sixth is a good achievement. When I came here, getting into Europe was the aim and that's what we have done. I don't know what's going to happen (to me), but hopefully the team do well."

He continued: "You only have to look at the squad there are a lot of young players there and even the younger ones coming through are very talented.

"Hopefully the manager will keep adding to it and developing it so the team can push on to the next step."