Manchester United are set to offer Michael Carrick a one-year contract extension, but only if he agrees to a certain condition
The Sun have reported that Manchester United are all set to offer Michael Carrick a contract extension that will see him stay at Old Trafford until June 2019. However, the Red Devils have only one condition – that the Englishman agree to take a significant pay cut.
Michael Carrick continues to remain an influential presence in the centre of the park for Manchester United. Even at 36, when many skeptics adjudged that he would already be on the periphery at Old Trafford, Carrick has proven that age is just a number.
After starting the season on the Manchester United bench, Carrick has soon established himself as a key component in Jose Mourinho’s plans, with the Red Devils boss himself iterating the midfielder’s importance to his side.
Numbers also tell the tale as to Carrick’s importance for Manchester United, with Mourinho’s side winning 14 of the 19 matches that he has started in the current campaign. On the other hand, the Red Devils have only been able to win 8 out of the 18 matches that Carrick hasn’t started.
Indeed, that shows in the performances as well, with Carrick’s calm and composed presence in front of the back four allowing Ander Herrera and Paul Pogba to play with more freedom to influence the attacking output. In particular, Carrick’s presence has brought the best out of Pogba, with the Frenchman’s levels often dropping significantly in his absence.
Now, it looks like Manchester United are set to reward Carrick’s influential performances with a twelve-month contract extension, but they also want him to agree to take a pay cut.
Carrick is currently one of the highest earners at Manchester United, earning wages of around £130,000-a-week. But Manchester United want that figure to drop to £70,000-a-week in a pay cut similar to the ones that the likes of Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Rio Ferdinand took when they were in their 30s.
A Manchester United source told the Sun that Carrick is eager to stay, with Jose Mourinho also keen to keep hold of Carrick for at least another twelve months. He said: “Carrick could be asked to take a reduction to his salary to secure another deal.
“He wants to stay and by all accounts Jose has told the board similar. He is on big wages here and would have to take a cut. Carrick’s influence and experience in United’s engine room is undeniable, he’s a key player for the team. But the bean-counters will cite the pay cuts Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes were prepared to take to remain a part of the story here.”
Carrick has enjoyed a storied career with Manchester United, winning five Premier League titles, one FA Cup, one League Cup and the Champions League in an illustrious eleven-year stint with the Red Devils. Now, it looks likely that that stay will extend into another year for the influential Englishman.
