MICHAEL CARRICK is returning to Manchester United to take over as interim manager seven years after retiring with the Red Devils.
His 12-year stint as a player at Old Trafford was full of highs that saw him win five Premier League titles and the Champions League, but it wasn’t all rosy for the former defensive midfielder.
Carrick previously opened up about how he battled with depression following Man Utd’s 2-0 Champions League final defeat to Barcelona in 2009.
It was his loose header that led to Barcelona’s opener inside 10 minutes that night in the Stadio Olimpico, a moment that haunted him for years.
Previously speaking to The Times, he said: “It was the biggest low of my career by quite some way and I don’t really know why.
“I thought I’d let myself down in the biggest game of my career. I had won the Champions League the year before, but that was totally irrelevant.”
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Adding: “I kept it to myself most of the time. Even my family didn’t know the full extent of it.”
Carrick battled his depression by himself for a long time, opening up about how it isn’t discussed in football.
He explained: “It’s not something that’s really spoken about in football. I have not spoken about it before.
“For the lads that I have played with that are reading this, this will be the first time that they know [about the depression]. They wouldn’t know.”
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USED TO THE NOISE
Carrick is no stranger to the noise and pressure of Man Utd.
All those years of playing for United have taught him what it means to have millions of eyes on you every time you play.
And he has grown used to the media criticism that comes along with it.
Carrick was on the receiving end of Roy Keane‘s sharp punditry tongue back in 2014 when he refused to call out any of his teammates or the manager when United fell to a 2-0 defeat away to Olympiacos in the first leg of the Champions League last 16.
Keane said: “[Carrick’s] interview was just like the performance: flat. He should say a bit more, have a bit more urgency even in his interview.
“That just reflected United’s performance tonight: flat, with no urgency.
“They keep saying, ‘Ah, well, next game, next game’. For some of them there won’t be another game for them. That’s the reality.’”
Keane’s unfiltered fury prompted a reaction from Carrick’s wife Lisa, who took to X in a now-deleted post to clap back.
She wrote: “Roy Keane what a **** says anything to provoke a reaction..That’s all..Done.”
Carrick and Lisa have been married since 2007 and now have two children together.
HEART SURGERY AND RETIREMENT
It wasn’t just media barrage and his own battle with depression that Carrick had to handle during his playing days, but also a secret heart procedure.
During his final season at United, Carrick had to undergo a secret procedure for an irregular rhythm.
He wrote in a statement at the time: ” I just want to clear up my situation as I’ve had quite a few people asking if I’m OK and why I haven’t been fit over the last couple of months.
“After feeling strange during the second half of the Burton game in September, I underwent a series of tests.
“It turned out to be due to an irregular heart rhythm which has been fully investigated and I had a procedure called a cardiac ablation.
“I had to build up training steadily whilst being monitored closely but I feel fine now.
“I would like to reassure everyone that I’m healthy and back training hard with the team. I’m building up my fitness and aiming to be back in contention for selection soon.”