It seems quite odd that Manchester United midfielder Michael
Carrick does not get the type of praise that he deserves.
The 26-year-old is one of the best midfielders in the Premier
League, yet he doesn't always make England squads and certainly
does not enjoy the type of fanfare that other central midfielders
do - even those at his own club get more compliments.
When he graduated through the West Ham United academy, he was
fast-tracked into the first-team as it was quite clear to the
coaching staff there that they had a special young player at their
disposal.
He went on to play over one hundred times for The Hammers before
moving across London to join Tottenham Hotspur, where he started to
mature into a midfielder that could dictate the tempo of a game and
link defence with attack by enforcing an effective passing
style.
In 2006, Manchester United spent big to bring him to Old
Trafford and many gasps were heard when people heard the price paid
for someone that they considered to be an 'ordinary' player. But
Sir Alex Ferguson was convinced of his quality and was looking for
a long-term replacement for Roy Keane, who had recently left the
club.
While Carrick will probably never reach the heights that Keane
soared at as a player (even if he does wear the same number sixteen
squad number), he has become a key component to the Red Devils
machine and is getting better all of the time. Perhaps the arrival
of both Owen Hargreaves and Anderson this season has brought the
best out in him.
Some argue that Hargreaves is a far better player than Carrick,
but they are different types of midfielders and offer something
contrasting when given the nod to start. Even though Carrick has
played more times this season - mainly due to Hargreaves' injury
problems - it is interesting to look at how their stats over the
course of the current campaign read.
Carrick v
Hargreaves
For the full article.....http://sport.setanta.com/en/Sport/News/Football/2008/04/02/Michael-Carrick-feature/