Done Deal? United To Announce Deal For £80k-A-Week Star
Manchester United’s Michael Carrick will reportedly sign a 12 months contract extension with his Old Trafford employer, Manchester United. By next summer, the midfielder would be out of contract and this extension is said to have come just at the right time. The 33-year-old player hasn’t featured for United this season as a result of injury but seems to be very much in the new manager, Louis Van Gaal’s plans for this season and probably the next. The English man’s existing contract has a renewal clause option which is said to be on the verge of activation now. Michael Carrick, the former Tottenham Hotspurs midfielder was an integral part of the Manchester United squad under Alex Ferguson, which won many domestic titles and the UEFA Champions’ League in the 2007/2008 season.
While many Manchester United fans are indifferent about this development, many others have said that Carrick’s return from injury may be met with a period of inactivity at the club as his playing time is expected to drastically reduce due to his age and more importantly the additions of new players by the new manager. This year, Ander Herrera, Daley Blind, Juan Mata and Angel Di Maria have all joined the Manchester Club alongside the new manager, Louis Van Gaal, so, a new regime with probably a different playing style and orientation is currently ongoing. Therefore, an ageing Michael Carrick’s regular playing time is very opaque to the keen watchers of the game. However, if going by the experience garnered over the years and the Manchester United tradition of keeping veterans to influence the younger players, are something to go by, then no doubt, this is a good development for Manchester United.
Under Sir Alex Ferguson, Ryan Giggs was a regular feature at the age of 38 until he officially retired last season to be part of the coaching crew in the present Manchester United team. It provided an opportunity for young players like Adnan Januzaj to tap into the rich pool of skill and experience of the Welshman and that really paid off. Now, with new players in the club, there has to be some veteran around that are very conversant with the club’s winning tradition and that could induce or re-awaken the champions’ spirit in the club. Therefore, Michael Carrick as the veteran inherent would serve that purpose even if he doesn’t play in all the matches of the English Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League. With United, Carrick has won the English Premier League 5 times during the 2006/07, 2007/08, 2008/09, 2010/11 and 2012/2013 seasons. Furthermore, the player has 1 League Cup medal with United in the 2009/2010 season and the FA Community Shield 5 times in 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2013.
In Europe, for Manchester United, Michael Carrick has won the most coveted trophy which is the UEFA Champions League in the 2007/2008 season and also has runners-up medals in the 2008/2009 and 2010/2011 seasons. The Englishman has also helped Manchester United clinch the FIFA Club Word Cup in 2008. While form is temporal, class is permanent and the class and experience of this type of player is needed at any club in the world.