Manchester United won their last 3 Premier League matches for the 2nd time this season, with their first 3 games of the season against Bournemouth, Southampton and Hull City being the other time such run has happened.
The Red Devils barely have a regular starting XI this season, with Mourinho always tweaking his starting lineup every now and then. That has seen club’s vice skipper Michael Carrick, see limited action, with the 35-year-old making his first Premier League start of the season on matchday 11 against Swansea in November, following a 12-minute cameo again Leicester City in September.
Since then, Carrick has gone on to play 5 other league games, with the last 3 in the consecutive 4 he featured in; ending in wins for the team. His influence definitely helped the Red Devils to the wins, and such an old-school English footballer displayed just what the club had been missing all this while.
Sadly, Carrick is the last of these dying breeds and here are 3 reasons why:
Technicality over Physicality
Nowadays, a lot of time is spent on making the average footballer very strong. Muscles are stretched to limits just to get the best out of the physical condition of the body.
Much attention is also paid to speed and being able to come out tops of tussles. Clearly, Carrick isn’t a part of all these new crazes that has held sway in modern day football.
His technical expertise on the ball makes up for his lack of the physical power a Paul Pogba has, the tenacity of an Ander Herrera and the tough-tackling abilities of a Marouane Fellaini.
Carrick was bred in the era where the usage of one’s head more than one’s body was heralded, and it’s why his ball interceptions are almost always timely and why he doesn’t always commit the booking-attracting fouls.
Such playing styles are becoming extinct by the day, and more demands are being placed on the physical aspect of the game ahead of the technical’s. Carrick, however, remains true to the age-long philosophy.
He is often underrated
Because his style of play is seen as archaic and old school, the level of worth placed on him is becoming increasingly low. Carrick is underappreciated, and his importance to the United squad is hugely underrated.
Before his EPL debut this season against the defending champions, he was only deemed fit for the Community Shield and the EFL Cup. Only 12 minutes of action seen in 10 league games highlights how unimportant he was to Mourinho at the beginning of the campaign.
But as often the case is with underrated players, once their true worth gets to be rediscovered, they are always being stuck with, and it’s why Jose has had no option than to involve the England international in his recent plans.
Manchester United have won 60% of all games Carrick started over the course of the last 3 seasons, while they have only managed to record 38% win without him. Says a lot about his quality.
Age is just a number with him
The average playing span of the modern football is around 10 – 12 years, with the last few years often always subject to heavy decline in performance and quality.
Carrick is 16 years into the game having made his first-team debut at West Ham in 1999, and almost 2 decades later, he hasn’t shown any sign of rustiness and continues to get better at 35 years of age.
Of a truth, this veteran and Red Devils legend is the last generation of such hugely talented crop of footballers, and we might never see such again in this lifetime.