Dartford sign former Aston Villa and Sheffield United midfielder Samir Carruthers

Dartford’s new signing made his Premier League debut at Anfield.

Samir Carruthers, who has joined the Darts from fellow National South club Hemel Hempstead, appeared as a substitute in Aston Villa’s 1-1 draw against Liverpool in April 2012.

The midfielder played again a week later, this time at Old Trafford, in a 4-0 defeat by Manchester United, and also enjoyed the heat of a West Midlands derby as Villa drew 0-0 at West Brom.

Carruthers, now 28, had been on the books of Arsenal as a youth-team player before making the move to Villa.

He went on to carve out a Football League career with MK Dons, making more than 100 appearances, before joining Yorkshire giants Sheffield United in 2017.

He made 28 appearances for the Blades, including six starts, and also played for Oxford and Cambridge before dropping into non-league with a brief spell at Eastleigh before joining Hemel in December 2020.

Carruthers, who could make his Darts debut at Hampton & Richmond on Saturday, also represented the Republic of Ireland at under-19 and under-21 levels.