Victor in trouble, cut deeply (5)
I believe the answer is:
carve
'cut deeply' is the definition.
'victor in trouble' is the wordplay.
'victor' becomes 'v' (phonetic alphabet: alpha, bravo, charlie etc.).
'in' indicates putting letters inside.
'trouble' becomes 'care'.
'v' put into 'care' is 'CARVE'.
(Other definitions for carve that I've seen before include "Cut into pieces" , "Attack the turkey" , "Slice (joint)" , "Cut meat with sharp knife" , "fashion" .)