Michael Carrick makes Manchester United tick

The midfielder is finally getting plaudits he deserves as Premier League leaders look to take a step closer to title against West Ham United, writes Richard Jolly.

Michael Carrick, right, has played more minutes in the Premier League than any Manchester United player this season. Darren Staples / Reuters

It was one of the more unexpected tributes. As Manchester City's players stood on a station platform, preparing to board a train to London for Sunday's FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea, a camera crew caught Micah Richards singing a song.

"It's hard to believe it's not Scholes, it's Carrick," he chorused, echoing the thousands at Old Trafford who are belatedly hailing Michael Carrick as Paul Scholes's successor. Perhaps their rivals' right-back simply liked the tune - from Pilot's 1974 hit It's Magic - or maybe he, too, is casting admiring glances at the Manchester United midfield.

Others certainly are. It has taken time for Carrick to be appreciated, but now he is.

That was not always the case. Tonight, he returns to his first club, West Ham United, where he was relegated in 2003 and not forgiven by some of their supporters the following year, especially when he then joined Tottenham Hotspur.

During an awkward 2010/11 campaign for United, redeemed only by excellent performances in the Uefa Champions League knockout phases, there was bemusement when Sir Alex Ferguson awarded him a new three-year contract.

Over the last 18 months, however, Carrick has become the one constant in an ever-changing United midfield, while his sidekick varies by the week: Scholes, Darren Fletcher, Ryan Giggs, Phil Jones, Tom Cleverley, Anderson and, at Stoke City on Sunday, Wayne Rooney, have taken turns accompanying him.

A composed presence in front of the back four, allying metronomic accuracy in possession with quiet consistency, he has taken over the playmaker's responsibilities from a United icon.

"The fans had Scholesy to drool over for years, but Michael has taken up the baton and done well," Ferguson said.

The players are starting to drool over Carrick, too.

"He is laid-back and plays at his own pace, so he always goes unnoticed," said Rio Ferdinand, a teammate for West Ham, United and England. "But he is valued highly by each member of our squad."

Ferdinand called Carrick's through pass for Javier Hernandez's FA Cup quarter-final goal against Chelsea "the ball of the season". It is an unofficial award, but there could be more tangible recognition at Old Trafford.

While Robin van Persie is a contender for the Footballer of the Year award, Carrick might be the choice of his peers as the United players' player of the campaign. Such prizes tend to go to unsung heroes and the 31 year old has long appeared happy for the spotlight to fall on more eye-catching players.

Yet, while alongside Antonio Valencia, he was United's finest player last season, there is the sense he has improved again.

"It's his best-ever season at the club and he's commanding that position," Ferguson said in January.

It is a further sign of Carrick's importance that, even on the rare occasions he is rested, his manager tends to introduce him to give United control when holding a lead.

A dozen years after his England debut, Carrick has finally become a regular starter for the national team, too. The delay can partly attributable to his style; elegant and unhurried, he is far from the archetypal English player.

It perhaps explains why the Barcelona branch of the Scholes fan club also respects Carrick.

"Carrick gives United balance and can play defensively, too," said Xavi, another pass master, in 2011. "He passes well, has a good shot and is a complete player."

Now the United fans, who long overlooked Carrick while devising chants about many of his colleagues, may agree. So, too, his fellow professionals.

While individual silverware is destined for more regular scorers, Carrick could end the campaign with a place in the PFA Team of the Year and a fifth title in seven years at Old Trafford. Relegation at West Ham seems a long, long time ago for United's languid late bloomer.

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