Q&A With Carrick And Herrera

Just before the new campaign started, Manchester United midfielders Michael Carrick and Ander Herrera sat down for joint-interview with MUTV and Inside United to discuss life at the club.

Carrick, who was named captain following the departure of Wayne Rooney in the summer, is enjoying his 12th season at the club, while Herrera has become a popular figure since joining from Athletic Club in 2014.

The duo are determined to help the team to more success in 2017/18. Read more in the Q&A below...

Which position did you play growing up?

Carrick: “I used to play as a striker when I was younger and then, when I was at West Ham, when I was about 16, I played as number 10. I probably stopped scoring enough goals and was put back into midfield then when I was about 17.”

Herrera: “Same for me, I used to play as a number 10, even in the First Division in Spain, but, when I came here, I think the managers changed my position a little bit. I’m very happy with that; I think Michael is a very good example and I feel comfortable there. It’s the same as Michael, I think we probably didn’t score enough goals to keep our position up front!”

Did you ever think you'd be playing in midfield for United?

Herrera: “When I was a kid, I used to watch United games, big teams’ games, and I wanted to be there. Now, I have the chance to be there and play for the greatest club in England and one of the greatest in the world. I just try to enjoy the moment; every day, I wake up I try to say 'thank you' to all the people who helped me to be here. I don’t want it to finish – both Michael and I love what we do.”

Carrick: “We certainly don’t take it for granted. To be lucky enough to play for a club like this... when you were little, it’s something you couldn’t have even dreamed of. On the other side of it, it’s your whole life, it literally takes over your whole life. I think people can underestimate how much it does take over your life; as professionals, we literally give everything for football. When you go out, people want a piece of you because you play for this great club, so there are two sides to it. But it’s all I ever wanted to do, and still is. Like Ander says, I’m 36 but I don’t want it to end because it’s so special.”

Finally, what do you have to say about your United team-mates?

Carrick: “Ander does all my running for me, he’s got so much energy – it’s fantastic! [Laughs] We’re lucky that we’ve got some terrific players, and I think the beauty of it at the moment is that everyone brings something different. I can’t do a lot of the things Ander can do, because he’s a lot younger and more energetic, so I try to use my brain and experience a little bit more. You look at Paul [Pogba] and [Marouane] Felli and what they can bring, and then you’ve got the likes of Jesse [Lingard] or Micki or Juan [Mata] coming in, I think everyone offers something different. It’s crucial – you don’t want players that are pretty much doing the same thing. But I do think we all understand the game the same, we all think the game should be played the same way, and that’s important too. It helps an awful lot."

Herrera: “I agree with Michael. I think now we can say that we have two players in every position on the pitch. You have players like Marcus Rashford, a runner who is always looking for the space, and you have [Romelu] Lukaku who can hold the ball in the difficult moments. During the game, he can be there holding the ball for everyone, then you have the likes of Juan who can come inside to play football. Then you have Anthony Martial who is brilliant in one-against-ones, we have Chris Smalling who is brilliant at defending and Daley [Blind] who can play the ball out fantastically well from the back. I know it’s not easy to do what we did last season because we won three trophies, but we are going to try our best. I think we’re in a good moment, the club is in a good moment, we have a good understanding with the manager, so I’m very optimistic for the season.”