Michael Carrick has sung the praises of Louis van Gaal for how he has helped him develop as a player this season.

He’s been terrific for me; he’s supported me and given me a lot of responsibility. As the season has gone on, I think I’ve shown that on the pitch; I’ve been happy with the way I’ve played. He’s a lot more measured and a lot more calculated with the positions he wants me to take up on and off the ball, and also in terms of distribution. If it’s five yards out, he’ll shout to let you know. It can change game to game – during the Liverpool match, for example, I was pretty much playing as an extra centre-back because of their system. Things changed for that one game, so he adapts and it’s good for me. I’m learning all the time.

Carrick believes that he thinks a lot more about what he is doing when he is playing now, compared to the past when he used to work on instinct.

I probably think about it [what I do on the pitch] a lot more now within the game, instead of with instinct and habits. You get good and bad habits, but I’m certainly thinking a lot more about certain scenarios in the game. At times, it goes against what you’re used to but for the benefit of the team, it’s far greater. Sometimes it can take a while for players to understand and adapt to that, and I think we’ve definitely seen an improvement as the season’s gone on. For sure, there’s still a long way to go yet. The manager has certainly got his own philosophy and his own style of play. We can see that now; there’s a clear identity when we play – it’s his way. With possession and the measured way we work our way up the pitch, it’s a fine balance and you need an end product. That’s what we’re working on now.