"?Michael Carrick is the most high profile of a handful of Manchester United players who are out of contract this summer. The veteran, who will turn 35 years of age in July, made people nervous with what looked like a potential 'farewell' on Tuesday night and only time will tell if he stays on.
Carrick has been an invaluable and dependable member of the squad for 10 seasons since he joined from Tottenham for £18m in the summer of 2006. He inherited Roy Keane's number 16 shirt and no one has ever complained about him not being worthy of it.
After five Premier League title, as well as Champions League and FIFA World Club Cup honours, Carrick does still have plenty to offer at Old Trafford, despite his advancing years.
He absolutely deserves to be given a new 12 month contract - the standard length offered to individuals in his position - although it must be said that his role on the field has to be a slightly reduced one.
Ignoring for a moment the obvious quality that he still possesses and the unhelpful 'experts' that so matter of factly state he could do a job for any team in the Premier League, Carrick has started to noticeably 'slow down' over the last two years. His football brain is still there, but his passing has, on occasion, been a little suspect and he can't quite always do what he used to be able to.
Physically, the player can no longer meet the demands of two-game weeks, highlighted by an increasing number of injuries and an overall reduction in the appearances he's been able to manage since 2014.
At another critical juncture, United have to start looking to the future this summer, gradually phasing Carrick out as a new squad emerges but not jettisoning him completely. In reality, his role in the dressing room over the course of the next year would be much more important than anything he could do on the pitch.
Wayne Rooney aside, no one among the playing squad has been at Old Trafford longer than Carrick, or 'been there and done it' to the extent that he has. United would be foolish to throw that level of experience and expertise away, even if he's not quite the same player he once was.
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