FANS urged Michael Carrick to replace Casemiro in Manchester United’s midfield following his impressive return to Old Trafford.
The Middlesbrough boss and Red Devils hero, 43, returned to the Theatre of Dreams for a Man Utd Legends match against a squad of former Celtic stars on Saturday afternoon.
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Carrick, 43, was named captain for the afternoon in a star-studded side that also included Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov.
And within two minutes of kick-off, fans at home were quick to compare current flop Casemiro with Carrick.
One fan wrote on X: “Michael Carrick could get on the pitch for us and still put in a better performance than Casemiro.”
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Another said: “Fletcher, Carrick and Rooney – this is the best United midfield we’ve seen in years.”
While a third replied: “43 year old Michael Carrick is better than…”
And a fourth said: “My goodness, get Carrick in our current midfield asap 😂.”
Carrick spent 12 years at Man Utd and racked up 464 appearances for the club.
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He won five Premier League titles, one FA Cup, three League Cups, the Champions League, Europa League and Club World Cup.
Carrick was named Manchester United Players’ Player of the Year in Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season at the club – a campaign which also saw him make the PFA Team of the Year.
He earned 34 caps for England between 2001 and 2015.
Meanwhile, Casemiro has receive huge criticism in recent weeks for his performances at the start of the season.
He gave the ball away for two of Liverpool’s goals as Man Utd were humbled 3-0 at Old Trafford.
Manuel Ugarte, who joined from Paris Saint-Germain for £50million at the end of the summer window, is expected to replace Casemiro in Ten Hag’s side.
Nine managers Man Utd considered before keeping Erik ten Hag
ERIK TEN HAG appears to be safe as Man Utd manager, but the Dutchman edged dangerously close to the sack.
Here are nine managers Red Devils chiefs are reported to have considered for the job and what allegedly happened with each.
Gareth Southgate
Enjoys plenty of support among Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos chiefs but made clear he wouldn’t talk to any clubs until after Euro 2024. There is yet to be any suggestion that contact was made with the England boss.
Kieran McKenna
Talks were opened with McKenna’s representatives before the FA Cup final, but the former Man Utd coach opted to sign a new deal with Ipswich after Ten Hag’s Wembley win.
Roberto De Zerbi
Allegedly sounded out before the FA Cup final with salary expectations discussed. But Ineos chiefs concluded ex-Brighton boss was not the right fit for the project.
Thomas Frank
Brentford boss met Man Utd representatives the day before the FA Cup final. The Dane also dined with Ratcliffe, Roy Hodgson and Frank Lampard at the launch of a new Ineos car in February.
Marco Silva
Fulham boss reportedly met Man Utd representatives face-to-face two days before the FA Cup final, around the same time as Ten Hag was conducting his press conference.
Mauricio Pochettino
Fell out of Man Utd’s thinking in the first week of June, despite being a favourite of Sir Alex Ferguson.
Thomas Tuchel
Made a very strong impression and came across well during a Monaco meeting. Personal terms were discussed before the ex-Chelsea and Bayern Munich boss decided to step back from the process.
Ruben Amorim
Sporting boss was discussed by the Man Utd hierarchy but did not make the final reckoning.
Roberto Martinez
Portugal manager was considered in the early stages.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
