Carrick: We Will Miss Vidic

Michael Carrick paid a warm tribute to Nemanja Vidic after the Manchester United stalwart bade farewell to Old Trafford in the Reds' 3-1 win over Hull City.

The Serbian centre-back leaves United at the end of the season, bringing an outstanding eight-and-a-half year stay to an end, and he made one last appearance at Old Trafford against the Tigers after replacing the injured Phil Jones on 22 minutes, following it with a heartfelt speech on the pitch after the final whistle.

Vidic helped United to five Premier League titles, three league cups and the Champions League and, in Carrick's opinion, deserves to be remembered as one of the club's greats.

"You want to win the game but, at the same time, you've got to celebrate Vida," Carrick told MUTV. "We have to celebrate the service he's given the club for so long, having achieved so much.

"He's a leader and one of the best defenders the club has had. It's sad that he's leaving because he'll be missed as he's a top player and an important part of the squad. Sometimes you've got to move on and we respect that.

"I'm sure he must have been touched by the reception he got from the crowd. He's a man of few words so I was a bit surprised to see him get on the microphone at the end. You could see he was touched and there was definitely some emotion there. He's got one game left but that was his last one at this special place. He'll be missed."

James Wilson's two-goal debut and the contribution of another debutant in Tom Lawrence also drew praise from the experienced Reds midfielder.

"James made a terrific debut. I thought Tom did really well on the left too, neither of them were fazed by it. They came in and did themselves no harm, it was great to see that they both settled in well. I tried to make it as comfortable as possible for them, telling them to play their normal game and they did that.

"The manager said before the game that as they were playing well they'll get their chance. They certainly took it and that's all you can ask."