Who will fill in for Michael Carrick?

With Manchester United buoyant after an impressive victory over Arsenal on Sunday, they’ve been rocked by the news that Michael Carrick will be out for 4-6 weeks. Carrick, the long-time unsung hero for the Red Devils, has been thwarted with an Achilles injury that will see the midfielder miss some key fixtures in December. With Carrick out, there will be an opportunity for someone to step in and stake their claim for a regular starting place.

Carrick’s vision and passing makes him one of the best holding midfielders in the English Premier League and with David Moyes finally settling in after his appointment from Everton , the injury is a bitter blow to United.

Front- Runner:

David Moyes paid £27m for the services of Marouane Fellaini in the summer and Moyes envisioned a perfect partnership of Carrick and Fellaini. However after a rough time settling in, like his manager whom he followed from Everton, Fellaini has found himself on the bench in recent weeks. Fellaini had several years of success at Everton bossing the midfield from several roles, however has not found it easy to cope with the pressure of being at a club of United’s stature.

The 25 year-old has managed to earn 45 caps for his native Belgium and will be fully aware that both first-team football and consistent form will be imperative, if he is to guarantee himself a starting place in Belgium’s talented xi at next summer’s World Cup. The Belgian will be given the complete run of the midfield with Carrick out of the picture and will be keen to ensure a selection headache for the boss ahead of Carrick’s return.

Coming up the rear:

Tom Cleverley seems to have lost his way in recent times, after beginning to establish himself as a Manchester United player towards the end of Sir Alex Ferguson’s tenure. The midfielder had a relatively poor start to the season, often coming in for some criticism from the United faithful in big games. Cleverley will certainly get his chance on the first team; however important match-ups against Bayern Leverkusen and Spurs will be where the spotlight truly will be on the England international.

Cleverley is a talented passer however would perhaps be better deployed as a more advanced midfielder. A lot of Cleverley’s better games have come when he is allowed to play in an attacking role, with some very good performances for England coming from that area. Cleverley will struggle to break up the play in Carrick’s manner, which has a lot to do with him standing at just 5’9”, but will duplicate some of the vision and playmaking ability Carrick possesses.

Waiting in the wings:

After a dominant first half performance alongside Carrick on the weekend, Phil Jones is fast emerging as the front-runner to be the man to fill the void left by Carrick. The defender-cum-midfielder has excelled in midfield at times often rummaging forward in a Yaya Toure-esque manner. Jones passing ability, though not at Carrick’s level, is more than sufficient whilst his ability to man mark and break-up play is priceless in midfield (see Real Madrid 2013).

The biggest knock on Jones is that he will end up as a centre back in the long run, which then brings into question Jones ability to consistently perform in midfield at this stage in his career. Jones’ versatility bodes well for him; however he himself has come out and stated that he wants to play in defence “It’s always nice to play in the position you feel most comfortable in… mostly it has been centre-back and that’s where I want to be.”

The long-shot:

Ryan Giggs has had a tough time so far this season, with the September clash at Anfield may have possibly been one of the worst of Giggs’ career. Several performances have led to many asking if this should be Giggs’ last season, as he looked a few steps off the pace and failed to offer a lot on the pitch. After a solid performance against Sociedad the Welshman has showed he will be ready to play if his number is called upon to replace the injured England international; nevertheless at 39 years of age he cannot rely upon his body to hold up for 6 weeks.

Ultimately Michael Carrick is a player who can’t be replaced overnight. Moyes has embraced the rotation of players so will more than likely give all four players mentioned a chance in midfield and will try and spread the load of Carrick’s work on possibly two players. Interestingly Moyes called on Cleverley over Fellaini when Vidic went down at half-time, read into that what you may. It must also be noted that Carrick performed admirably to play through the pain in such a crucial clash against Arsenal and the gamble will be seen to have paid off after a solid performance by the Geordie.

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