- Man Utd midfielder Michael Carrick to retire at the end of the season
- Mourinho confirms he will join his staff as a first-team coach
- Heart issue has forced England international to stay on sidelines all season
- READ MORE: Real Madrid to land summer signing, Sergio Ramos knows who it is
Man Utd boss Jose Mourinho has confirmed that Man Utd star Michael Carrick will retire at the end of the season and take up a coaching role at the club.
The 36-year-old hasn’t played for United since September in a League Cup encounter with Burton Albion, with reports later revealing that he had experienced an irregular heart rhythm, as noted by BBC Sport.
Naturally, his health would have been of paramount importance for all concerned, and with his contract set to expire this summer, it would appear as though he has taken the sensible decision to hang up his boots.
That won’t be the end of Carrick’s association with the Red Devils though, as Mourinho noted that the veteran midfielder will join the coaching ranks as a first-team coach heading into next season.
“I think is a good decision for the team and a good decision for him to finish playing football and not because he is injured or with some problem,” Mourinho is quoted as saying by The Independent.
“So we are all happy and in the end of the season I expect him to join, unless he changes his mind. But the club would be very happy for him to do that. I would be very happy also for him to do that.”
Carrick has enjoyed a glittering career at Old Trafford since arriving from Tottenham in 2006, winning five Premier League titles, the Champions League, Europa League and the FIFA Club World Cup and so his presence as a player will be sorely missed.
As for Mourinho, it will likely require action in the summer transfer window to find a long-term replacement, as United are already light in that department and Marouane Fellaini is also set to become a free agent unless a new agreement is reached as his current deal will expire.
Carrick may have played a minimal amount of football this season, but a player of his class in that role in front of the defence is difficult to replace, but United must try and find someone who can come close to offering what he did on the pitch as it will surely help them in the long run to replicate the success that he has experienced.