What Does Carrick's Deal Mean?

Michael Carrick has today signed a new deal at United which will keep him at the club until 2014, the summer he will turn 34-years-old.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at this great club,” Carrick said. “There is fantastic team spirit within the squad and I’m pleased to have committed my future to United. We are in a very good position at the moment and I am confident this team will be successful for many years to come.”

What does this mean for our club?

Possibilities:

1. United won’t be bringing in a top central midfielder
By the summer, Carrick would have had just one year to run on his current deal, meaning we would need to sell him then to make any money back on him. A better option would have been using him in a part-exchange deal with money for a Premier League based central midfielder. Jack Rodwell? Luka Modric? Jordan Henderson? With just a few months until the transfer window opens, it’s highly unlikely we’ve got him to agree this deal just to bump up his market value, like we did with Cristiano Ronaldo (and Wayne Rooney? Just kidding. Kind of).

2. Paul Scholes is retiring
A few weeks ago, Sir Alex Ferguson hinted that discussions over Paul Scholes’ contract extension weren’t going as smoothly as hoped. Despite claiming to be “hopeful” over a new deal, he also said: “I think Paul feels he has to play all the games.” The following week he said: “I want Scholes to stay, but he is such a proud person,” said Ferguson. “He wants to play in every game and I fully understand that.” It’s not looking good, is it? Carrick turns 30 this summer so after the retirements of Gary Neville and Edwin Van der Sar too, Michael is one of the more experienced and settled players, used to influence our younger players coming through.

3. Owen Hargreaves is going and Carrick will play even deeper
Carrick has been playing a deeper role this season than in his earlier seasons and maybe that is a position he plans to make his own. Hargreaves doesn’t have a future at the club so maybe Carrick is permanently the holding midfielder and United, whether Scholes retires or not, will still bring in a more attacking central midfielder.

4. We’re broke and can’t afford anyone else
Giving Michael Carrick a new three-year-deal is a lot cheaper than paying the transfer fee and extortionate wages of a world class central midfielder. If we win the league this year, maybe the club will wrongly assume we have enough in midfield for next season too.