Carrick: These are the games you
United’s absence at elite level hurt, says veteran Retiring midfielder may have role against Sevilla
Listening to Michael Carrick talk yesterday with all the assuredness, balance and intelligence he has brought to Manchester United’s midfield over the past 12 years, it is easy to understand why Jose Mourinho is so keen to add the 36-year-old to his coaching staff in the summer.
Carrick admitted that was as good as agreed after confirming he will retire at the end of the season, and while the Old Trafford dressing room will lose its most sensible voice, not to mention a wealth of experience and medals, it must be reassuring for every player – from Scott Mctominay to Alexis Sanchez – to know he will still be there to lean on when required.
Tonight at Old Trafford could be the final time Carrick hears the Champions League anthem as a player. A goalless first leg against Sevilla last month has left “everything open” in this round-of-16 tie and United “without any advantage at all”, according to Mourinho.
But the passage of time has only increased Carrick’s appetite for success and, while he admits his mother, Lynn, got rather tearful when he faced his boyhood club Newcastle United last month, knowing the end was near, he is only looking forward, not back.
“No, not really, to be honest,” Carrick said when asked if he had been getting emotional of late. “It is what it is. You’ve got to be quite comfortable with the situation.
“I think when I played at Newcastle the other week it was probably a bit more emotional for my parents, seeing my mum after the game, but it’s not something I’ve thought of. I’m just thinking about enjoying the rest of the season and playing as much as I can. I hope this is not the last one in the Champions League by a long stretch.
“For so long, it was kind of a given [reaching the Champions League quarter-finals] – not taken for granted, but it was just what we did and for so many years. When you go without that, it kind of hurts. You miss it.
“But we are back where it really counts and you get that extra spicy feeling. You want to be playing in these games.”
With Ander Herrera injured and whether Paul Pogba will feature this evening uncertain – the Frenchman played only a bit-part role in training yesterday, having not fully recovered from the injury that kept him out of Saturday’s 2-1 win over Liverpool – Carrick could play some part against Sevilla.
His appearances this season have been limited, largely owing to a minor operation he underwent in September to correct an irregular heart rhythm that, for a while after, left him wondering if he should retire sooner and “whether it was worth it or not”.
In his and others’ absence, Mctominay has emerged unexpectedly to become a regular starter and Carrick believes the 21-year-old
‘You miss it. We are back where it really counts and you get that extra spicy feeling’