Reds Will Cope Without Scholes

Michael Carrick feels there is a collective responsibility within the United squad to cover the loss of so many experienced players.

The midfielder has become one of the most senior professionals at United following the departure of Wes Brown, John O'Shea, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville, Owen Hargreaves and Edwin van der Sar.

Speaking exclusively to ManUtd.com in a webchat on Sunday night, the England international answered fans' questions on a variety of topics.

When asked if Scholes' retirement will mean he needs to take on more responsibility in the playmaking department, Carrick replied: "I think losing a player like Paul is a loss - he brings so much to the team. He's a world-class player. You have to compensate in other ways.

"We've done that in the past - we lost Cristiano [Ronaldo] a few years ago and people didn't think we'd get over it. Different players step up - maybe not one player but we share the responsibility. I feel there's more responsibility as you get older, too. Experience counts for a lot. I won't be thinking about that, though. I just want to improve again and have a good season."

The former Spurs star was also asked which of the experienced campaigners will be most missed.

"That's the hardest question so far," he admitted. "They all bring so much, but in different ways. Edwin's experience, his calmness, the reliability - that was the main thing. Like any goalkeeper, he made the odd mistake but generally he was world class.

"Scholesy was just brilliant - how he played the game, how he was off the pitch... he was loved by everyone. None of the lads have a bad word for him. He came in, did the business and then headed off again. He had genius ability that you can't really teach.

"Gary, as well as being an incredible player for 10 or 15 years at that level, his influence off the pitch was massive. When I came he was the captain and he'd drive the high standards and keep players on their toes. People say he moans a lot but there was a reason he moaned - he wanted everybody to hit perfection. As a captain and off the pitch, he was immense."