Michael Carrick

Michael Carrick: Justification

In all the excitement generated by Sir Alex’s excellent summer, is under threat midfielder Michael Carrick justified in asking : “What have I done to deserve this?”Carrick is facing up to losing his place at the heart of the United team, when the England midfielder’s first year reviews might have earned him the right to be considered an automatic start

The self-effacing England midfielder was a regular in his debut season at United, missing only five Premier League games as United stormed to the Premiership title, a Wembley FA Cup final and a Champions League semi-final.
Not bad for a first year, the 25 year old might have believed. Not good enough for his astonishingly restless manager!

With the season barely over, Sir Alex completed deals to bring in England defensive midfielder Owen Hargreaves and the Brazilian Anderson, tipped to be a world star within two years.

The signings encouraged talk of a new era of United dominance, with the last campaign’s achievements reduced to sepia-coloured souvenirs.
Carrick has disappeared in the tumult surrounding the club’s unprecedented boldness in the transfer market. His contribution to United’s triumphs was trampled underfoot by the media stampede to hail Owen Hargreaves and Anderson as the new face of Sir Alex’s midfield. Headline writers and sports hacks lavished praise on the new recruits and the manager. Barely a word was written in support of Carrick, or in defence of his role as a skilled midfield schemer. Such a prospect would be unthinkable at most other clubs. United however, are unlike most other clubs! Has an £18 million signing ever been forgotten so quickly?

Carrick, for all his skills, is still burdened by the charge that he rarely hurts the opposition. He brings fluidity, cohesion and purpose to United’s play but is vulnerable to the more obvious qualities of his midfield rivals. He is not as dynamic as Hargreaves and hasn’t the range and goal threat of Scholes.