Carrick Is Not Finished Yet.

BY ADEDAYO AYODELE

Carrick isn’t an explosive box to box midfielder who can grab a game by the scruff of the neck (who is?) but not extending his contract would be quite unfair.

He’s been a fantastic player for Manchester United and I can’t for the life of me understand why people don’t rate him. I would go as far as to say he is one of the best signings Fergie made. His reading and understanding of the game was crucial to the success of the team. You just need to listen to what fellow professionals say about him to gauge how good he is. You can’t deny that he wrestled the title back off that amazing Chelsea team with Scholes and has had a lot of fantastic success since as well.

I feel like a lot of Man Utd fans misunderstand Carrick’s role in the team. It is not his job to bail United out, he is not a Gerrard or a Lampard. He is a deep lying playmaker, that sits deep and dictates play. He can only be as good as what is in front of him. Look at the 2011 CL final midfield. How does better players make Carrick look better, when he had a 37 year old Giggs, Park and Valencia alongside him.

Yes England managers never fancied him but it’s not like they are some sort of success story. They failed, whilst Ferguson succeeded with Carrick. These England managers made Gerrard and Lampard look poor, pushed Scholes out-wide. What does that tell you? They went for power and pace, rather than calmness and technical ability. Reason why England will never succeed, whilst the Spanish, Italians and Germans will.

The last thing Manchester United need now is shipping off a load of players, especially experienced ones. Not a bad thing to keep hold of him so he can contribute to the development of the youngsters and also give some identity to the club which has seen massive changes in last 3 years. I still trust him on the pitch even if he doesnt set the world alight.