Early career Born in
Islington, London, Carruthers was playing football local to his hometown of
Hatfield, Hertfordshire when he was signed by
Cambridge United's under-10 side. He trained frequently with
Manchester United, but when Cambridge United abandoned their youth team set-up he signed for
Arsenal, the team he supported as a child.
Aston Villa Carruthers signed for Aston Villa in June 2009, aged 16. He made his name playing for the club's
reserve and academy sides as an attacking midfielder and winger. Following a number of injuries to
Alex McLeish's first team squad in the latter stages of the
2011–12 season, the young midfielder was brought in to train with the first team on a number of occasions. Carruthers made his first-team debut in Villa's 1–1
Premier League draw at
Liverpool on 7 April 2012, replacing
Barry Bannan for the final four minutes. He made two further substitute appearances that month. On 1 April 2013, Carruthers captained
Aston Villa's youth squad to the final of the
NextGen Series where they beat
Chelsea 2–0, at the
Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, in
Como, Italy.
Milton Keynes Dons Carruthers was sent out on loan to
League One side
Milton Keynes Dons on 10 August 2013 on a youth loan until 4 January 2014. He made his debut against
Preston North End on 17 August. Coming on as a substitute in the 56th minute, Carruthers won a penalty, which was in turn converted by
Shaun Williams, levelling the score at 2–2. A week later he scored within 15 minutes of coming on as a substitute against
Bristol City, hitting a left-footed effort into the top corner to earn another 2–2 draw. On 8 January 2014, he extended his loan spell until 3 April. However, on 18 February, he withdrew from a match against
Preston North End with a knee injury in the 13th minute, ending his season. On 6 August 2014, Carruthers signed for Milton Keynes Dons on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee. He scored his first goal of the season on 13 September in a 5–3 away win against
Barnsley, and on 25 April 2015, he scored a second goal, opening a 3–2 win over
Rochdale at
Spotland. Eight days later the team earned their first promotion to the
Championship with a 5–1 home win over
Yeovil Town on the final day, with Carruthers setting up the first goal from
Carl Baker. On 19 September 2015, Carruthers received a straight red card for a foul on
Stuart Dallas in a 2–1 home loss to
Leeds United. He scored once in 39 appearances – opening a 3–2 loss at
Blackburn Rovers on 27 February 2016 – as Milton Keynes were relegated.
Sheffield United On 3 January 2017, it was announced that Carruthers had signed for League One leaders
Sheffield United on a three-and-a-half-year deal for an undisclosed fee, thought to be worth £250,000. He made his debut four days later in a 4–2 win at
Southend United, coming on as a 68th-minute substitute for
Mark Duffy but lasting only 15 minutes before withdrawing with injury. He totalled 14 appearances for the Blades, who won the league title with 100 points. Again as Duffy's replacement, Carruthers scored his first goal for the Blades on 21 November 2017 in a 5–4 loss to
Fulham at
Bramall Lane. He was transfer-listed by Sheffield United at the end of the 2017–18 season. Carruthers joined
Oxford United in June 2018, on loan for the
2018–19 season. He suffered a knee injury during the first game of the season, and his recovery was interrupted by a recurrence of the injury later in the autumn that required surgery.
Cambridge United On 29 August 2019, Carruthers joined
League Two side
Cambridge United on a one-year deal following his release by Sheffield United. He was released by the club at the end of the season.
Non-League Carruthers dropped down into non-league football with
Hemel Hempstead Town for the start of the 2020–21 season. On 24 March 2022, he joined
Dartford on loan. On 9 June 2022, Carruthers joined Dartford on a permanent deal ahead of the 2022–23 season. On 22 May 2023, Carruthers joined
Chelmsford City on a permanent deal ahead of the 2023–24 season. On 3 May 2024, Carruthers announced he had left the club following the culmination of Chelmsford's season. On 16 May 2024, Carruthers re-joined Dartford. On 13 May 2025, Carruthers signed a new deal at Dartford keeping him at the club for the 2025–26 season. ==International career==