Carew has committed himself to the club for a further 12 months, extending his contract which previously had two years left to run until June 2011.

The big Norwegian has been a success at Villa Park since joining from Lyon in January 2007 and finished as Villa's leading scorer last season.

Carew, 28, has established a strong partnership with Gabriel Agbonlahor and opened his goals account for the current term by netting in the Intertoto Cup tie against Odense last month.

His 13 goals last term helped Villa to an impressive sixth place in the Barclays Premier League.

A statement on Villa's official website said: "Talismanic striker John Carew has handed Villa a pre-season boost by penning a 12-month extension to his current deal."