Manchester United fans will be desperately and attentively glued to news outlets and social media this summer. Reason being the clubs public courting of Southampton's French Morgan Schneiderlin and Real Madrid's Sergio Ramos.
Both players need no introduction to football fans and they envy of many football managers ( ask Wenger on Schneiderlin). No player at United will be so desperate to know the details of the clubs transfer dealings like central midfielder Michael Carrick. This is because, to an extent the future of Carrick in United is tied with the capture and subsequent performance of the French man. Carrick is revered and loved in Old Trafford after playing close to a decade in the North West, but just like every mortal, age is finally catching up with the English man who grew up in Tyneside idolising Newcastle United as a child. Carrick along with Captain Wayne Rooney are the only survivors of the team that beat Chelsea on penalties to lift the Champions League that cold night in Moscow in 2008. That team went on to reach two more Champions League finals and were unlucky to be beaten by a buccaneering Barcelona team coached by Pep Guardiola and led by Lionel Messi in the prime of his career. They team still went on to lift four premier league trophies and can be compared to the team of 1999. The capture of Carricj dates back to the summer of 2006, after the controversial failed capture of Nigerian young sensation John Obi Mikel who joined rivals Chelsea. It was only after Mikel wasn't captured that Sir Alex Ferguson captured Carrick from Tottemham for £14 million which could potentially rise to £18 million depending on contract clause.
This made him the sixth most expensive player in United's history then. Carrick has gone on to play more than 263 Premier League games scoring 17 goals. Last season was by far his personal worst season as he was blighted by injuries and form of Danny Blind and Ander Herrera restricting him to just 18 Premier League matches with only one goal. This is poor, compared to his 2012-2013 season in which he played 36 league matches as United went on to win the league in Ferguson's last season scoring four goals in the process . This is because, 2013/2014 season was a disaster under David Moyes as so many things didn't go right and that is why the players are given the benefit of doubt by the fans, who put the blame on the man in charge (David Moyes). Louis Van Gaal showed last season that he preferred the defensive midfield pairing of Danny Blind and Ander Herrera with Ashley Young, Marouane Fellaini and Juan Mata playing ahead of them. With the additional purchase of Morgan Schneiderlin, Carrick will be further down in the pecking order. It still remains to be seen which role Carrick will play considering that Schneiderlin at 25 is entering his prime. Accepted Schneiderlin is as defensively solid as Carrick who during the reign of Ferguson sometimes played in central defence. Also another advantage Carrick has is that his ball distribution and shooting accuracy is one of the best in the Premier League, but it is obvious to people who watched him last season that at 33, his energy and legs are on the wane and there are doubts if he can still cope with the rigorous , high intensity, fast paced nature of the Premier League. Given that United will play in four competitions next season ( Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup and Premier League) then it is wise keeping him in the club in case of injury or fitness problems of other teammates. Carrick can still stay one or two more seasons in order to help the younger places like Luke Shaw, Wilson, and also Schneiderlin improve. Which ever way it goes in Old Trafford this season, it should be a win-win for the club. With the capture of Schneiderlin at 25, it is expected that he will stay for a long while and that he brings trophies to the once trophy crazy North West. This only leads Manchester United fans to hope his capture from Southampton is a reality before the end of the transfer window.
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