Carrick has plenty left to give for Manchester United

At 35 Michael Carrick is in the autumn of his career but the Manchester United stalwart believes he has plenty left in the tank after carving out a more prominent role under Jose Mourinho of late.

Since moving to Old Trafford from Tottenham Hotspur in 2006 Carrick has played 427 times for the club – and picked up 16 trophies in the process.

However, his appearance in United’s latest victory over Swansea was his first start in the Premier League this season.

(Photo by Athena Pictures/Getty Images)

There is every reason to believe he will feature more heavily from now on – United have won all six games that Carrick has been involved in this term.

And though his contract runs out next year after signing a new one-year deal in the summer, Carrick is very much focused on the present.

“Physically I feel fine, I feel really good in all honesty,” he said. “You have to manage yourself a little bit more when you get older and international breaks allow me to stay fresh, but also as fit as possible for the games coming up.

“I have played nowhere near as much as I have wanted to play, but I understand the situation. It’s about finishing the season strong and being successful as a squad.

“Whatever my contribution is, whether it’s big or it’s little, then I’m ready to make it.

“You’ve just got to judge it as you go along. Physically how do I feel? Am I able to do it? More importantly, do the manager and the club feel I am still able to do it?

“So there are a lot of things to judge but there’s plenty of time for that [to discuss the future]. We’re not even at Christmas yet so we’ve got bags of time.”