Is Aston Villa targeting Manchester United captain Michael Carrick a good or a bad thing?
Michael Carrick of Manchester United trains during a training session ahead of the UEFA Super Cup final against Real Madrid.
Leicester City and West Bromwich Albion are the other two sides keen on Carrick, whose game time this season has been limited to just one appearance in the Carabao Cup against Burton Albion.
Michael Carrick of Manchester United during the International friendly game against Real Salt Lake.
The 36-year-old is in the final year of his current contract at Old Trafford and is considering leaving to get more game time away from the Red Devils.
However, is it a good idea for Villa to be targeting yet another aged player in Carrick having signed John Terry (36), Chris Samba and Glenn Whelan (both 33) over the summer?
It hardly shows manager Steve Bruce is building for the future with there also being question marks over whether the United skipper has the legs required anymore to compete in the Championship.
Steve Bruce manager of Aston Villa, looks on during the Sky Bet Championship match against Birmingham City.
The counter to that argument is that Bruce is looking to bring in experienced heads to take the Villans back to the Premier League before implementing a long-term plan at the club.
The problem with that is a lot of hope is being pinned on aging and presumably well paid players who could prove an expensive burden if promotion isn’t achieved.
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