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3 Reasons Why Manchester United Should Extend The Contract Of Michael Carrick

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Jose Mourinho’s initial few months at the club have not gone as one might have envisaged. There have been a few atrocious moments as well, one which saw the Manchester United manager being sent off to the stands against Burnley. Mourinho has also found it difficult to get his selections and line ups right on more than one occasion. He has been slightly unlucky when it comes to injuries but has also left a lot to be desired in the way the likes of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Michael Carrick were snubbed from selection even though they were fit.

Michael Carrick has been a great servant to Manchester United since moving to Old Trafford from Tottenham in 2006. Sir Alex Ferguson on many occasions depended on Carrick to take control of his midfield. Carrick also played an important part when important players such as Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs were reaching the twilights of their respective careers. He took over from them and established himself as United’s main string-puller in midfield. David Moyes and Louis Van Gaal too utilized Michael Carrick a lot and he was an important player and dressing room character in their tenures.

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Ever since Jose Mourinho has stepped up, it has never been same for Michael Carrick. His role was no longer that of a starter and was restricted to appearances only in cup competitions and in the Europa League. Paul Pogba was signed from Juventus to much fan fare and a lot of expectations have been placed on the young Frenchman’s shoulders. Pogba appeared to not make much of an impact in his initial few matches as he found it tough going on his return to the Premier League. He was often partnered by Fellaini and Herrera, but both the partnerships didn’t go as well as they were intended to.

In stepped Michael Carrick and United were winning games again. With the Englishman in midfield, United had more control of the game and Carrick’s presence also gave Pogba a lot of freedom to surge forward, which was evident from his goal against Swansea when he found himself in some good space and bulleted a finish home with a volley. At the end of the season , Michael Carrick might not be a United player anymore as his contract runs out.

Here are 3 reasons why Michael Carrick’s contract should be extended by another year at the least –

  • Experienced head

At 35, Michael Carrick has loads of experience. With United possessing an otherwise young midfield with the likes of Lingard, Pogba, Herrera and co., Carrick should be signed up to keep him at the club which will continue his influence on the club and its youngsters. In the PL games that he has featured in so far, Carrick has shown great leadership in controlling United’s midfield and orchestrating things in a way he knows best.

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  • His presence gives a free role to Paul Pogba

Carrick’s presence on the pitch allows Pogba to roam into acres of space where he can have an impact on things. In Pogba’s initial few weeks back at United, he was finding it tough to have a telling impact on games and sometimes it felt like he was drifting to them. Post Carrick’s introduction to the line up, Pogba has flourished and put on more of a show in midfield.

  • Excellent reader of the game

Michael Carrick, in his 16 odd years of professional football, has proven to be an excellent reader of the game. This quality of his has also seen him play at centre back, an option Mourinho has at his disposal if need be. In midfield, Carrick likes to track runners and make interceptions by keeping a vigil eye on proceedings with his excellent qualities of awareness and positional sense. These qualities could be invaluable to a United team that are currently in need of a lift.