Michael Carrick Bio

Carrick's £17m move to Manchester United in the summer of 2006 was long-running and controversial but eventually United got their man and Tottenham Hotspur got their price.

And United appear to have got value for money as the England international has improved each season with United. Perhaps he needs to improve his goal ratio, though that is one of the few criticisms of this midfielder.

Iin Carrick, Sir Alex Ferguson had signed a playmaker who dovetailed well with the ageing legs of Paul Scholes. His quiet personality matches his unspectacular style but his distribution was invaluable to United's success in 2006/7. He even showed up with the odd goal.

Part of West Ham's legendary 1998/99 youth side, this young Geordie had an exceedingly bright future predicted for him as a kid.

He is also a former member of the famous Wallsend Boys Club, also attended by Alan Shearer, back in the north east.

Carrick has always been a steady player, capable of both a holding or forward role. His size means he is rarely brushed off the ball and his distribution has always received rave reviews.

He made a successful debut against Newcastle in 1999/2000 after impressing in loan spells with Swindon Town and Birmingham City.

Carrick broke into the Hammers' midfield at the start of the 2000/01 season.

He was a member of the England squad for the European Under-21 Championships in Slovakia and received the call up to the full squad from Sven Goran Eriksson for a friendly against Spain in February 2001 - although he did not take part in the game.

Carrick won his England debut in an international friendly against Mexico in May 2001, but has found competition for places in midfield very strong since then.

He was short-listed for the PFA Young Player of the Year award in 2001/02 and took Bobby Moore's famous number six shirt for the 2002/03 campaign.

But it was a season of woe for West Ham, as they struggled from the outset and were eventually relegated into the Nationwide League.

Despite rumours of an instant transfer back into the Premiership, Carrick remained at Upton Park for 2003/04.

He was one of the stars of the side which narrowly missed out on promotion, losing to Crystal Palace in the play-off final.

And as the 2004/05 season was about to begin a whole host of clubs moved in. At first it looked as thought Portsmouth would win the race, but late, surprising interest from Arsenal unsettled the player.

Arsenal soon pulled out of the race, and Carrick then turned down a move to Fratton Park. Pompey were furious, claiming that Arsenal's conduct had ruined any chance of him signing for them.

Eventually he chose to sign for Tottenham Hotspur for an undisclosed fee, believed to be in the region of £3.5million, signing a four-year contract. At Spurs he prospered under the tutelage of Martin Jol, who entrusted him with a deep-lying midfield role which made use of his passing ability and defensive qualities, which are based around his strong sense of positioning.

As Spurs pushed - unsuccessfully - for a Champions League place in 2005/6 Carrick was the star man. And he was rewarded with a place in England's World Cup squad in 2006, where he started the group game with Ecuador before being dropped for the quarter-final - some would say unjustly.

Sir Alex came knocking and Carrick made clear his intentions to join United. He got his wish. After a drawn-out transfer saga.

He made his United bow in a 3-0 Premier League win at Charlton Athletic and soon became an integral part of the side which won back-to-back Premier League crowns and the Champions League in 2008.