Goalkeeper Roy Carroll arrived at Pride Park Stadium on the final day of the January transfer window and penned a deal initially until the end of the 2007/08 season.

It was a protracted capture by Rams boss Paul Jewell who had been trying to bring Carroll in for the entire month but it was held up while Glasgow Rangers searched for a replacement goalkeeper themselves.

And when the Scottish giants picked up Neil Alexander from Ipswich Town they released Carroll and allowed him to move south - while Stephen Bywater left the Rams to join Ipswich on loan at the same time.

Carroll started his professional career at Hull City but made his name at Wigan Athletic.

He moved there in 1997 for £350,000 but after 170 appearances he was snapped up by Premier League champions Manchester United in July 2001 for a fee of £2.5m.

Selling Carroll to the Old Trafford giants was one of new Wigan manager Paul Jewell's first acts, having taken over at the JJB Stadium just six weeks previously.

Carroll was a Premier League winner in 2002/03 and also picked up a medal in 2004 as a late substitute for Fabien Barthez in United's 3-0 FA Cup final victory over Millwall.

His last game for United was the 2005 FA Cup final, when Sir Alex Ferguson's side lost on penalties to Arsenal, and he joined West Ham upon his release that summer after 72 appearances.

Carroll signed for West Ham United and made a good start to his Upton Park career before injury struck in February 2006, ruling him out for the rest of the season - and denying him a third successive FA Cup final appearance in the Hammers' thriller with Liverpool.

In two years he made 35 appearances for West Ham but was released in the summer of 2007, when he then joined Rangers - the club he supports.

Carroll made just one appearance so far for the Glasgow giants.

Internationally, he made his debut for Northern Ireland in May 1997 but has fought a continual battle with Maik Taylor for the number one jersey, and has 19 caps to his name.

LAST UPDATED: February 6 2008.

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