Carrick backs boss to honour tradition

MICHAEL CARRICK has claimed Sir Alex Ferguson’s legacy is safe in Jose Mourinho’s hands with an impassioned show of support for the beleaguered Manchester United boss.

Former England international Carrick, now an assistant coach at Old Trafford, is adamant that the current United chief is committed to blooding youngsters and so maintaining a proud club tradition.

United’s nurturing of young players adds up to a youth team graduate featuring in every matchday squad United have fielded since 1937, and Carrick says: ‘He does get the history.’

Mourinho has spent almost £400million on players in just over two years, restricting chances for the stars of the future to follow academy graduates like Marcus Rashford and Scott McTominay into the first team.

‘For the manager to put him [Rashford] in and play him — and Scott [McTominay] last year — and give them games, big games as well,’ says Carrick. ‘The manager has to take a lot of credit for that. At the end of the day the academies are there to produce players and to give kids a chance of getting in first teams.

‘Especially at United; you can’t ignore the history and traditions.

‘But you have to be good enough. Fortunately we as a club over a long time we have produced players that are good enough.’