Carrick Enjoying Reds Responsibility

Sir Alex Ferguson called him “the best central midfielder in English football” recently and Michael Carrick says he is enjoying his role as one of the Manchester United squad’s elder statesmen and the responsibilities that come with that.

Alongside Darren Fletcher, Carrick has been asked by his manager to assist captain Wayne Rooney with matters on and off the pitch involving the squad. It’s a duty Carrick is relishing, even though he insists team achievements will always come before personal accolades.

“I had a chat to the manager about it [being named vice-captain] and it’s great for me for him to think like that,” Carrick told ManUtd.com and MUTV. “It’s probably a natural thing with me being one of the older players and more experienced, that’s the natural step – it’s great. I managed to be captain when Wayne missed a game [Stoke in December], which was nice, but it’s not the be all and end all of everything. It’s achieving things with the team that means more to me, but it’s nice to be recognised.”

The captain and vice-captain have found themselves in particularly close proximity on the pitch of late, with Rooney taking up a deeper role in midfield. Carrick has not been surprised by Rooney’s impressive displays in the position, but says comparisons with fellow attacking midfielder Paul Scholes, who Carrick played alongside for many years, are unfair.

“Wayne has just got quality about him, he’s just a good footballer with his passing, knowledge of the game, his creation of chances and scoring goals," Carrick declared. "He’s an all-round good player, better than good obviously, he’s got a lot of skills that most players don’t have.

“You can compare them in a way but it’s such an easy thing to say. Both players are their own players in their own right and have their own qualities. Scholesy was such a fantastic goalscoring midfielder. With Wayne being the natural goalscorer he is and playing in midfield there is a similarity, but I don’t think you can compare them as they’re so different.”