With Louis van Gaal admitting in his weekly press conference that Michael Carrick is in the autumn of his illustrious career…
“Our selection is not balanced and I want to restore that in the next transfer period. The life is not ending at 34, but for a professional football player, it’s close by. That’s why I have to handle again in that position.”
…we look at Manchester United’s potentially gettable replacements for the man that makes United tick, with one stand out contender.
Kevin Strootman
A lovely player who has the same sort of presence as Carrick. But he is left-footed and there remain big concerns over his general fitness after two punishing injuries over the last year.
Ilkay Gundogan
A player of myriad qualities. He is a ball of energy with great technique and lovely passing ability off both feet. We wonder whether he has the physical presence to completely fill Carrick’s shoes and his injury record is also a slight concern. Could form part, if not all, of the solution.
Paul Pogba
A truly brilliant box to box midfielder with great technique and a massive engine. But Pogba is surely going to generate a bidding war this summer and Manchester United may be loathe to spend a lions share of the transfer kitty on a player that they let go for almost nothing two years ago. Pogba also has much more of an attacking instinct than Carrick and may not fulfil his potential in an anchor man role.
Pick of the Bunch
Morgan Schneidelrin
Schneiderlin may not have the cache of Pogba but he’s the perfect fit for Manchester United
His last two seasons at Southampton have been spectacular and he, above all other gettable contenders, seems to have a skill set closest to Carrick. He’s strong, his positional play is superb and he has the passing ability to compensate for the loos of the brilliant Englishman.
At 25 he’s the perfect age for a big move and we would be more surprised if he remained at his current club beyond this summer. It may not be fair but it’s the nature of the modern game that the big boys take the top talent. Schneiderlin would certainly go into that category.
Let’s see him in action. Manchester United fans: who is your pick of the bunch?
