Sridhar Bhamidi
Manchester United veteran Michael Carrick is ready to stay at Old Trafford and fight for his place, despite interest from other clubs. According to ESPN, the Red Devils’ midfielder doesn’t want to move in the January transfer window though there is no shortage of suitors.
Carrick joined United from Tottenham Hotspur in 2016 and has been a great performer. The 36-year-old has established himself as one of the club’s legends. He is the longest-serving player at the club now after Wayne Rooney left in the summer to join Everton.
However, the midfielder has found game time under Jose Mourinho a difficult proposition. The arrival of Nemanja Matic and the upsurge in form of the likes of Marouane Fellaini and Ander Herrera is the main factor for his lack of games.
It recently emerged that the player was plagued by a mystery illness on the sidelines which didn’t help matters. With his contract set to expire next summer, there were rumors that clubs like Leicester City and Aston Villa are prepared to make a bid.
But, reports from ESPN indicate that Carrick doesn’t want to leave in the winter and wants to win his place back. Though he is not playing regularly, Mourinho feels that he adds a lot to the dressing room with his experience and wants him to stay, at least until the end of the season.
His experience could be vital in the final stages of the season and Jose knows it all too well. With Carrick out due to injury, Mourinho had to rely on the old hands of Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young to lead his side in tight games.
The former West Ham star has recently returned to training and it looks like we will soon see Carrick in the first-team. The midfielder has quashed reports of moving away from the club in the past, indicating his desire to retire at the club. That should explain the calm in the player’s camp despite all these rumors of a winter move.
I believe that Carrick would have featured more prominently had it not been for the injury, at least after both Fellaini and Pogba got injured. He is a great asset to the side and let’s hope it stays that way even after January.
