Carrick deserves more recognition
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It seems quite odd that Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick does not get the type of praise that he deserves.
The 26-year-old is one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, yet he doesn't always make England squads and certainly does not enjoy the type of fanfare that other central midfielders do - even those at his own club get more compliments.
When he graduated through the West Ham United academy, he was fast-tracked into the first-team as it was quite clear to the coaching staff there that they had a special young player at their disposal.
He went on to play over one hundred times for The Hammers before moving across London to join Tottenham Hotspur, where he started to mature into a midfielder that could dictate the tempo of a game and link defence with attack by enforcing an effective passing style.
In 2006, Manchester United spent big to bring him to Old Trafford and many gasps were heard when people heard the price paid for someone that they considered to be an 'ordinary' player. But Sir Alex Ferguson was convinced of his quality and was looking for a long-term replacement for Roy Keane, who had recently left the club.
While Carrick will probably never reach the heights that Keane soared at as a player (even if he does wear the same number sixteen squad number), he has become a key component to the Red Devils machine and is getting better all of the time. Perhaps the arrival of both Owen Hargreaves and Anderson this season has brought the best out in him.
Some argue that Hargreaves is a far better player than Carrick, but they are different types of midfielders and offer something contrasting when given the nod to start. Even though Carrick has played more times this season - mainly due to Hargreaves' injury problems - it is interesting to look at how their stats over the course of the current campaign read.
Carrick v Hargreaves
For the full article.....http://sport.setanta.com/en/Sport/News/Football/2008/04/02/Michael-Carrick-feature/