Whenever Michael Carrick was available last season, he started. In 2015-16, he may face a very different fate though, with Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin signing this summer. Carrick claims that he welcomes the competition though an believes it will improve his own performances.

Competition for places is good. Over the years there has always been competition for places at this club. As players, you want the best players here and you want the squad to be as strong as possible and challenging for everything we’re involved and, to do that, you need the best players and the strength in depth. The four lads that have come in have got quality and they’ve settled in quite quickly. I think this is a welcoming and friendly group and we’re looking forward to getting to know them a bit better.