#3 Sign a replacement for Michael Carrick
Despite being deliberately vague regarding his future in an interview at the end of last year, Michael Carrick has drawn on the possibility of leaving Old Trafford, with his one-year contract extension due to expire in the summer. “Everyone is different. It depends on circumstance. It depends on a lot of things,” were the words of the 35-year-old.
Carrick is limited in the amount of football he can play at his age and has played just 15 games in all competitions. Of those 15 though, United have won 13.
The Englishman remains a crucial cog in the Manchester United wheel, shielding a reasonably vulnerable defence with an experienced head. If he were to depart at the end of his contract – make no mistake about it – there’d be a key component missing in the United team.
The side would primarily lack a defensive-minded midfielder of Carrick’s quality, with Fellaini too inconsistent to carry the burden. Secondly, they would be losing a very experienced campaigner and one of the last remaining individuals to have been a part of the club’s most successful era under Ferguson.
The criteria of Carrick’s potential replacement includes top-level experience equivalent to that of the Englishman’s, phenomenal fitness and great leadership skills. Toni Kroos has had his name tossed into the ring; whoever it may be, United must ensure somebody is brought in to plug the gap.
