Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho gives Michael Carrick a charity contract extension
Michael Carrick’s play last season just wasn’t good enough to earn him a new deal at Manchester United
Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho must be mellowing with age. That’s the only reason that midfielder Michael Carrick is getting another contract with the Red Devils.
The club hasn’t announced a new deal for the English international yet, but the Daily Mail is reporting that club legend Paddy Crerand is confirming Carrick’s new deal. It’s amazing to me that a player who struggled so much last season is deserving of another campaign at Old Trafford.
There was, of course, a time when Carrick was one of the best midfielders in the Premier League. That time clearly wasn’t last season. During 2015-16 the English legend was a below average midfielder at best.
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Carrick has never been a tremendous athlete, and has instead relied on his skill with the ball to rip the opposition apart. Unfortunately, this past season he looked much too slow to cope with the athleticism of even average Premier League players.
Don’t believe me? Watch film of him struggling to get around on the pitch. His Whoscored.com player rating average of 6.66 speaks volumes. At 34 years of age it’s unlikely that he’s going to see an uptick in form next year.
It makes you wonder what motivated Mourinho to sign off on such a strange deal. “The Special One” isn’t exactly known for his sentimental side. It’s impossible to believe that he approved the signing based on Carrick’s ability to actually contribute on the pitch.
That leaves a couple of possible explanations for Mourinho’s decision. The first, is that the club didn’t offer him a choice in the matter. Carrick is one of the best players in United’s storied history and the higher-ups at the club may have simply dictated to Mourinho that he return next season. That doesn’t sound like the sort of dictation that Mourinho would accept though.
Instead, the more likely scenario is that Mourinho is showing a bit of self-awareness. He undoubtedly knows that he has a reputation as a sort of cruel, unfeeling manager and that has some people at United concerned about his potential fit with the club. What better way to put those concerns at ease than by handing out a charity contract to one of the club’s beloved servants?
Mourinho is wisely making a solid political move early in his time at United. He can extend Carrick and gain a lot of favor with fans who might be skeptical of his appointment. Carrick gets to continue to play for his beloved club, and isn’t the type of man to cause a problem when he finds himself on the outside of the squad looking in.
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It’s too early to believe that Mourinho has truly learned to play the politics of football, but him handing a charity deal to Carrick is a good sign for United fans. Time will tell if Mourinho has really learned from his past mistakes.