Carrick To Decide On Man. United Retirement Next Season

Michael Carrick says he will assess whether to retire at the end of the next Premier League season.

Speaking to Sky Sports News HQ on Friday about how much longer he plans to continue his professional career for, the 35-year-old said: “I haven’t got an age in mind really, I need to just take it year by year.

“I said that last year, I said it the year before and I’ll say it again next year too.”

The Manchester United vice-captain, who has made 479 premier league appearances, refused to commit to a retirement timeframe, but said he has been inspired by many of the Class of '96 players who continued to play in to their 30s.

He said: “I’ve learnt a lot off of [Ryan Giggs] Giggsy and the likes of [Paul] Scholes and Gary Neville who went on to play until their late 30s. I’ve been lucky enough to see that close to waters and I’ve taken things from that and tried to learn from it.

“It might take me as long as Giggsy, but I’m not too sure.”

Discussing his hopes for Manchester United next season, the midfielder stressed that the club are looking to return back to the Premier League top four.

He said: “We’re looking up and we’re looking to achieve something this year and win more trophies.

“It was a big way to finish to get the Europa League trophy with the added incentive of a Champions League spot. It gives us something to go at next season.

"A club like Manchester United needs to be in the Champions League and challenging for that trophy. You want to be playing at the top and challenging the best teams.”

When asked about the possibility of Cristiano Ronaldo making a return to Old Trafford next season, Carrick said that as of yet, discussion is purely speculation.

Credit: Skysports.com