5 midfielders who can replace Michael Carrick at Manchester United

Michael Carrick will be calling an end to his long and illustrious career at Manchester United at the end of this current campaign. Thus far, he's won five Premier League titles, three League Cups, 6 Community Shields, 1 FA Cup, 1 UEFA Europa League as well as a UEFA Champions League trophy too.

He's the only remaining member of the 2008 Champions League winning squad in Moscow, while his attributes - namely excellent passing range and distribution - are definitely something that United will find hard to replace in future.

When he does depart in the summer, the Red Devils will have to enter the market for a quality midfielder who can replace the English veteran at Old Trafford. Even manager Jose Mourinho has acknowledged that, prioritising a replacement for him ahead of the new campaign.

Here, we take a look at five players who could potentially replace him:

#5 Toni Kroos (Real Madrid)

According to reports, United want Kroos (right) in a swap deal for David de Gea.

The German sniper's passing game is second to none and he has been running the show at Bernabéu quite spectacularly. The former Bayern Munich midfielder has already won three Champions League titles as well as the World Cup with Germany at the age of 28.

h experience in abundance and his eye for classy passes, United will not miss Carrick for long if they manage to sign him. In all competitions this term, his passing accuracy rate has been at 92% - having created 49 goalscoring opportunities with six assists in the league alone.

With the statistics aside, managing to sign Kroos would prove a very tough piece of business for United to complete given just how integral he is as part of Real's midfield. They can, however, sweeten the deal as it is expected that Los Blancos will once again make an approach for David de Gea, who they'll potentially use Kroos as part of their negotiations.

#4 Marco Verratti (Paris Saint-Germain)

Verratti's defensive capabilities make him more than capable of replacing Carrick.

Verratti has made quite a name for himself in Europe with PSG in recent seasons. The Italian has been one of the most impressive midfielders across Europe with his passing game.

At the age of 25, he has plenty of years left in him and would definitely want to challenge himself in a very difficult league such as England's top-flight. With PSG knocked out of the Champions League round of 16 once more, he could consider a move away from Parc des Princes in order to fulfil his long-term ambitions.

His passing style and defensive capabilities make him a great candidate to replace Carrick.

According to reports, he could be on his way to Old Trafford, with Manchester United considering a swap deal involving Paul Pogba.

#3 Julian Weigl (Borussia Dortmund)

Weigl is tipped to be a world-class player in future

The young German is one of the most highly-rated midfielders in the Bundesliga. At the age of 22, he has made quite a name for himself with eye-catching performances for Dortmund over the past few seasons.

Weigl plays the crucial role of being the pivotal figure between attack and defence. He boasts a passing rate of 86.2% and considering his age, he's likely to improve upon that figure in future.

His fellow countryman, Toni Kroos has already tipped him to be a world-class player in the future. He is very good in his positioning, which helps him influence games - equally capable of sitting deep and dictating play from less advanced positions in midfield. He provides good cover for his teammates and he has displayed fantastic off-the-ball movement.

Though the Red Devils are likely to face competition from their local rivals Manchester City for him, they should definitely consider signing him as a replacement for Carrick.

#2 Mateo Kovačić (Real Madrid)

Unhappy about a lack of first-team minutes, Kovacic reportedly wants to leave Real Madrid.

Since his arrival at the Santiago Bernabeu from Inter Milan, the Croatian has found playing time limited. The likes of Casemiro and Luka Modric are ahead of him in the pecking order at Real Madrid.

There is no doubt that he is a talented midfielder and only at the age of 23, he has all the ingredients of a world-class player in future - but one who crucially, needs to play regularly to continue progressing well. Whenever called upon by Zinedine Zidane, he has provided Madrid with good midfield cover in the absence of any first-team regulars.

Kovacic is a very versatile midfielder and capable of playing anywhere in the midfield. He is a brilliant passer of the ball and is also very comfortable playing deep.

His only real shortcoming is his lack of consistency at times, which is something that a disciplinarian manager like Jose can easily sort out with experience.

It is believed that he has told Real Madrid that he wants to move away next season and they should listen to offers for him, if that is the case then the Red Devils should waste no time in trying to acquire his services.

#1 Jorginho (Napoli)

Jorginho is the unsung hero of Napoli's Serie A challenge this term

The 26-year-old Italian is having an amazing season with Napoli, where they are currently challenging leaders Juventus for the Serie A title in this late part of the season.

The former Hellas Verona midfielder has been delivering some excellent performances for the Naples side. His excellent performances have also been matched by consistency, as he has been delivering similar levels on a weekly basis.

The unsung hero within Maurizio Sarri's squad, he is the embodiment of their quick passing and one-touch play. His reading of the game is also fantastic as whenever one of his team-mates risks being caught out in possession, he appears unmarked to help them out.

Manchester United are reportedly considering a move for him and unsurprisingly, are likely to face competition from top-flight rivals Chelsea.