Evans Backs Carrick To Keep Playing

Jonny Evans has backed his former Manchester United team-mate Michael Carrick to "play for years yet", ahead of the 35-year-old's Old Trafford testimonial on Sunday.

Carrick signed a one-year contract extension last weekend that will keep him at the club until June 2018 and manager Jose Mourinho described him as "one of the true professionals of the game".

ManUtd.com recently spoke exclusively to Evans, currently at West Bromwich Albion, to garner a personal tribute to his friend and the Northern Irishman offered a unique insight, shining a light on "the footballer's footballer" and explaining why our evergreen midfielder still has plenty to offer...

Firstly, how much does Michael deserve his Old Trafford testimonial?
Michael has been around the club for such a long time, he has been the focal point in central midfield and he is an absolutely brilliant person. He has never got the credit that he does deserve. Any player who plays with him will be blown away by how good he is. He is the footballer’s footballer. Anybody who appreciates good football, watching the game and understanding how things happen will enjoy Michael Carrick. Almost every year that I was at United, when you went to vote for your player of the season Michael was always the one in my mind. I always appreciated him and you could tell what a good player he was.

The United fans appreciate him and famously sing how it’s “hard to believe it’s not Scholes”. Just how good were those two together in central midfield?
When Sir Alex Ferguson was manager, there was always rotation. There were spells when Michael and Paul played a lot in midfield together, but we also had Darren Fletcher and Anderson coming into the equation. He always changed things up and there was a great standard of midfield players within the club. The quality that they all possessed was that they knew how Sir Alex Ferguson wanted to play football and had a great way of expressing themselves on the pitch. But Michael and Paul had a great partnership at a time when Manchester United had a great domination of the ball and whenever those two played then Man United controlled the games. When we played in Europe, a lot of the times when we had a run in that competition were down to those two. They were always appreciated by foreign players, too.

When you were a centre-back at United, was it a dream to play behind Michael and Paul?
Yeah it was because they used to come and get the ball off you! They would demand the ball, they would come and make it easier for you, they would pass to you at the right time, try to get you involved in the game and they appreciated centre-backs that passed the ball as well. That was always something that was a positive. If somebody is always giving you angles and encouraging you to play football in a way that you both agree with then it makes things a lot easier.

A little bit like Scholes, Michael is quiet away from the pitch and doesn’t court any attention. People don’t know too much about him, so what can you tell us?
Michael is obviously a quiet person but one of those guys, when you get to know him, he really opens up and likes to have a laugh. He is somebody who lives life to the full and is a real family man. He has got a great family at home, he cherishes that and makes the most of his time with his family. He really appreciates that side to life.

Michael took the number 16 shirt off Roy Keane – which was a big deal - and has made it his own ever since. Do you have sympathy for the person who wears it next?
No I don’t think so. I don’t think the number was ever going to be an issue for Michael when he came. With footballers, and knowing Michael’s personality, the number won’t have mattered. The biggest thing for him was being the best player he could be for Manchester United and showing his qualities. People were probably looking for the next Roy Keane but Michael Carrick is a totally different type of player. Michael has never changed the way he has wanted to play or has played. He has a special skill. His reading of the game, his technique with both feet, he is always receiving the ball on the back foot, on the turn and opening up the pitch is something that I will always remember him for.

How long can Carras play on for?
I always used to say to Michael that he has got the best physique of any footballer I have ever seen! He is lean, he has got great posture, he is in proportion and you can see that his body is designed to be a footballer. It is the perfect build for this game. He looks after himself, he is very professional and he can go on for a long time. He can play for years yet, I really believe that.

Jonny Evans spoke exclusively to ManUtd.com following an MUTV appearance on 12 January.