Micheal Carrick’s testimonial will be held at 14:30 BST on the 4th of June 2017.
Manchester United’s midfield stalwart Michael Carrick is set to have a testimonial game to thank him for his services for the Red Devils during his eleven year spell at Old Trafford.
Signed as a replacement for Robbie Keane from Tottenham for £18.6 in 2006, Carrick did not embody the former United captain, but found his way in the first team for his elegance and grace on the ball, and also for being a positive presence in the dressing room.
The English midfielder’s won it all at United, and at 35, he still seems to have at least one more year in his body to compete at the top level. He only recently put pen to paper to a new contract, and is likely to retire at the club.
Thus, it is only fitting that the midfielder is rewarded with a testimonial game. He will be part of the Manchester United XI that will represent the players who were part of the 2008 Champions League winning squad.
Big names of yesteryear including Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Edwin van der Sar and Paul Scholes will be in Carrick’s team. To cap it off, the side will be managed by United’s longest serving head coach, the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson.
The Red Devils will take on an All Stars side, handpicked by Carrick himself, which includes a number of quality players of the past decade. A number of them have been Carrick’s international teammates while some have been adversaries.
65k tickets have been sold…I can't wait! https://t.co/DioShbBvTu @_MCFoundation @ManUtd pic.twitter.com/yTi62H6Urv
— Michael Carrick (@carras16) May 31, 2017
It will include John Terry, who played his last game for Chelsea in the final match of the league season, and he will be joined in the All Stars team by former teammates Frank Lampard, Eidur Gudjohnsen and Damien Duff.
Liverpool’s legendary trio of Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Michael Owen will also be part of the action. Owen, who is a former United player, will be relishing the chance of playing against one of their finest squads since the turn of the millennium.
The English striker represented a number of clubs in his illustrious career, and Real Madrid are one of them. The Spanish side won the La Liga this season and will play in the Champions League a day before the testimonial. Owen and Michel Salgado are the former Real players to feature in the testimonial.
Once a defensive mainstay at Barcelona, Eric Abidal has been invited to play in the game while AC Milan legend Clarence Seedorf will also grace the fans in attendance with his exquisite showings in the middle of the park.
Former Manchester United midfielder and brother of Gary, Phil Neville will also participate in this match, but against his brother’s team. The 40-year-old had left United before they won the Champions League for regular first-team football at Everton.
It was announced on Tuesday that the kick-off time would be changed from 4:30 pm to 2 pm to cater for a special benefit concert being held by Ariana Grande that evening, which will raise funds for the families who were affected by the tragic Manchester Arena attack last week.