Carrick: Scholes Still Underrated

Michael Carrick has paid tribute to long-term midfield partner Paul Scholes, declaring him to be one of the greatest players to ever grace the game.

Scholes will hang up his boots after this Sunday’s clash with West Brom at The Hawthorns, calling time on an illustrious, trophy-laden career in which the Middleton-born man has become a bona fide Manchester United legend.

A midfield maestro in his own right, Carrick is arguably the perfect candidate to evaluate his team-mate’s immeasurable quality and having thought about it, the 31-year-old is adamant the ‘Class of 1992’ graduate is still criminally underrated within football.

“First and foremost, I’d like to say that Scholesy still doesn’t get enough credit as he should for me,” Michael told MUTV. “He is not regarded as highly in the game as he should be. If you ask anyone who has played against him or played with him, he is right at the top of their tree of players.

“It has been such a privilege to play with him. Even on Sunday (against Swansea), knowing it was his last Old Trafford game, it really meant a lot to me and I really enjoyed it. I made the most of it.

“It is sad to see him go but he has earned his retirement, he has done more than enough in the game and everyone has learned more than enough from him. I’m sure he’ll enjoy himself.”

Of course, Scholes is not the only one retiring this season. His career-long manager Sir Alex Ferguson will also bow out at the top this weekend, paving the way for a new era under David Moyes, who will officially take charge at Old Trafford on 1 July.

And although Carrick admits it will be strange to play under a new boss, who will undoubtedly have his own ways of working, he is enthusiastic to undertake the task after the summer break.

“I think you have to be excited,” Michael explained. “We have to take on the challenge and it is obviously a new challenge. It is going to be a slightly different feeling coming back to pre-season and not really knowing what is going to happen.

“We know we have got the tour and where we are going, but in terms of day to day things, it is going to change. How much change we’ll have to wait and see because there is not too much wrong, but we have a new manager with new opinions. David Moyes is his own man and I am really looking forward to working with him and moving forward both as a team and as individuals.”