Paul Scholes has dubbed Michael Carrick the “Rolls- Royce” of the team due to his engine

Scholes’ decision to come out of retirement has overshadowed the fact that Michael Carrick, a notorious slow-starter to the season according to Sir Alex Ferguson, has quietly slipped through the gears and is now purring away in majestic mid-season form. Despite four Premier League titles in his five seasons at the club, Carrick continues to divide opinion among United fans. But according to Scholes, that is not the case among his team-mates. “Over the last six years at the club he’s been terrific, one of the most under-rated players that the Premier League has had,” said Scholes. “Since he’s come we’ve won the league in all but one season – that says it all. You need players such as Michael to be successful. He’s a total team player, which players around him really appreciate. “I’ve always found him very easy to play with. He’s capable of doing anything. He can create goals, score goals, he’s a great passer of the ball and is a big strong lad with a lot of presence who can run all day long.

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“To be a central midfielder at this club you have to take responsibility – take the ball all the time, defend at times and be prepared to drive the team on to score goals and win games. Michael does all those things. “There’s no better player at just keeping the ball and keeping it simple. “Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney, we all recognise how important he is to the team and at the end of the day that’s the important thing, that your team-mates know what you’re doing in the team. “As long as they do and the manager is happy, that’s all that matters.” Carrick had the daunting task of replacing Roy Keane – he even took over Keane’s No16 shirt – and Scholes thinks that has been at the root of his problem in being fully appreciated by the United faithful.

“Michael is a different breed to the likes of Roy and Nicky Butt,” said Scholes. “They were brilliant, but so is Michael in a different way. He brings calmness to the game and parades around the pitch like a Rolls-Royce.” Significantly, Carrick was missing for four of the five games United have lost this season, against Manchester City, Basle, Crystal Palace and Blackburn. He’ll be one of the first names on Ferguson’s team-sheet at the Emirates tomorrow but, typically, shrugs off the praise from Scholes and his manager. “When the boss says good things about you then it is pleasing. But it is a team thing and we want to be winning as a team,” he said.