Michael Carrick’s importance to the Manchester United team is still as big as when he signed for the club in 2006. He might not have been the first choice in that transfer window but his ability on the ball and his passing range and control have made him a favourite amongst the Old Trafford faithful but as time passes by, the team also has to deal with departures.
Carrick is 34-years-old and United have to plan for his exit from the club sooner or later. Louis van Gaal hasn’t had the best of luck in finding talent or getting them to play really well. To help the Manchester United manager, here is a list of five players who could fill the Carrick role and give United the oomph they have been missing in their midfield.
The knee injury seems to have taken a lot out of Kevin Strootman, not only did he miss the World Cup, he also seems to have lost his fitness and had it not been for the injury, he would have certainly joined Louis van Gaal at Manchester United.
The 25-year-old could still make the move from Roma as he has barely featured for the club due to his injury and maybe spending time with his old national team boss could help the player regain his confidence and fitness. He probably would come at a reasonable price and United could take a risk on the Dutch maestro.
The 27-year-old is one of the blessed Belgian players who have taken the world by storm. Defour has been more of a journey man and people expected him to kick off when he signed for Porto in 2011 but he has returned to his homeland and now plays for Anderlecht.
A bit of a hard man on the ball, Defour isn’t just known for his passing but his ability to tackle and hold the team in the heart of midfield. His range might not match that of Carrick’s but his combative nature could well be the thing that United need.
Iturraspe might not be known all that well to many but the Spaniard has been one of the stars for the Athletic Bilbao side over recent years. The 26-year-old has spent his entire career for the Basque club.
Iturraspe is a combative midfielder who has a decent range of passing; he isn’t the perfect replacement for Carrick but could form a great partnership with former Bilbao player in Ander Herrera.
The Argentine playing in Serie A with Lazio is one of the best midfielders to have come out from the country and could well be the man to replace Carrick. He has the big game ability and composure to play for United day in and day out, plus at 29, he could come from Italy for a rather tidy sum.
Biglia would bring a lot of energy and bite to the Manchester United midfield, something that they haven’t actually gotten much of this season and could do a great job replacing Carrick, if United can get him.
One of the options to replace Carrick is already playing at Manchester United. However, the reason why Louis van Gaal continues to use Daley Blind as a centre-back is beyond comprehension but the Dutch midfielder could do the job for United in place of Carrick should the eventuality occur.
Blind does have a great range of passing and is comfortable on the ball as well, he would be perfect for the Carrick role but only when Louis van Gaal sees fit to play him there and unfortunately that does not seem to be happening any time soon.
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