The impact Michael Carrick has had at Manchester United in the last decade cannot be underestimated. He may not have been a headline maker, but there are numerous examples that show why the £18 million investment made by Sir Alex Ferguson on the England midfielder ranks as one of the best. Carrick is in the twilight years of his career at 35 and he can no longer be expected as a part of a team that challenges on four fronts. Jose Mourinho seems to have understood the same and Carrick has largely been involved only in the League Cup and Europa League games.
Despite being a bench warmer in the Premier league, Carrick showed against Manchester City that he still has the ability to perform at the highest level when called upon. United managed to put behind their recent misery and secure a 1-0 win over arch rival City. It sets them up against West Ham in the last eight of the EFL Cup, and the hope of Mourinho winning a title in his first season at the club remains intact.
One of the moments in the game showed why Carrick still ranks as one of the best midfield options United have at the moment. Involved in a duel with Sergio Aguero – widely judged as one of the world’s best strikers – the aging midfielder would be anyone’s bet to come out on the losing side. There are few players in the Premier League who can keep up with Aguero when it comes to pace, and Carrick managed exactly that to keep the opposition at bay when City were threatening with a counter-attack.
One of United’s best performances in the last few weeks have come in the 4-1 win over Fenerbahce. A crucial element that went unnoticed was the presence of Carrick offering a lot of balance to the midfield. Mourinho currently prefers the combination of Marouane Fellaini and Ander Herrera, but it has been a hit and miss. United fans have surprisingly welcomed Fellaini’s injury in the recent game against Chelsea. The Belgian is expected to be out for a couple of weeks, and it may be the perfect time for Mourinho to see the impact Carrick has in the team.
There is no reason why the former England international can still perform when called upon and the League Cup game against City was a perfect example.
