(Manchester United News)
Michael Carrick has given a fascinating interview to MUTV, on air this week, in which he explains how his north-east upbringing and a move to London at the age of 15 shaped him as a person and made him the player he is today – Manchester United’s midfield orchestrator and invaluable vice-captain.
Now 34, Carrick is also thinking about what the future holds and discusses the work he's doing away from the pitch to stay fresh, fit and focused on prolonging his career…
1. “All I ever wanted to do was play football.” It’s a familiar refrain from kids in the north-east, a hotbed of aspiring young footballers, and a young Carrick was no different. “My mum said all I ever wanted as a toddler was a ball. If they took me to a toy shop, the first thing I’d try to get was a ball. It was in me from the start.”
2. “The first time I went on a football pitch I cried.” It was at Wallsend Boys Club in Newcastle (famous for producing Steve Bruce, Peter Beardsley, Lee Clark and many more). “On a Saturday night there was a coaching session – it was more of a riot! Kids aged four or five to eight or nine played on this five-a-side pitch. My dad and granddad were there and there were steps down to the pitch, it was a bit of an arena. It was a bit too much for me back then! Once I got on the pitch I was fine.”
3. “My dad played at Middlesbrough.” “He got in their reserve team – a left-back, so, different to me. Middlesbrough may not seem far from Newcastle but he wanted to be at home, so he gave it up and played local football. He tells me he was a good player. For a while he said he was better than me but after a certain time he had to give that up – I was like 'Come on, dad'!”
