5 of the best Manchester United players in the last 10 years

#3 Michael Carrick

Carrick has been a calming influence in midfield

Every manager dreams of having a player who can bring a sense of calm and composure to the team. Someone who can do the toughest of tasks and still makes it look easy.

It was for this reason that Jose Mourinho signed Nemanja Matic from Chelsea. However, before Matic, Michael Carrick had signed for United from Tottenham Hotspur.

Sir Alex was adamant about signing Carrick as he wanted to reinforce his midfield and build a team for the future.

Carrick has been a rock at the base of the midfield for Manchester United. He can pick out a pass from even the most cramped of spaces and shields the defence completely. He controls the tempo of the game and can start off counterattacks by making decisive passes to the forwards.

It was not until the turn of the decade that Carrick finally began to realize his potential. The English international peaked around the same time that Paul Scholes slowed down and that allowed for a smooth transition in midfield.

He was often labeled as the best central midfield player in the league by Sir Alex. Carrick was at the top of his game in Fergie’s last season.

He made 36 appearances for United in the league that season and averaged an impressive tackle success rate of 70%. He made more than two interceptions in each game and recovered the ball back almost eight times in every ninety minutes.

Even after Fergie had retired, Carrick continued to impress with his displays on the field and became a great leader of the team. This week, he revealed that he has been recovering from a heart issue for the last two months.