Aston Villa, Leicester City and West Brom are all reportedly considering offering Michael Carrick an escape route from Manchester United.
John Terry may be one of the most successful English footballers of the Premier League era, but an Aston Villa side restricted by Financial Fair Play were still taking a risk handing the 36-year-old a contract in the summer following his release against Chelsea.
The five-time Premier League champion, however, has proved a hugely important figure on and off the pitch after a somewhat shaky start to life in the Championship. Terry has not only been a leader and a role model off the pitch, but his performances on it have been increasingly impressive too. So much so that Villa have risen from near the bottom of the table to the top six in a matter of weeks.
And manager Steve Bruce appears to be attempting to replicate arguably the most inspired Championship signing of the season by landing another respected veteran who is not short of experience, not to mention trophies.
The Mirror claims that Aston Villa are monitoring Michael Carrick’s situation at Manchester United. The 36-year-old didn’t expect to be a regular this season, but it is understood that he has been left frustrated after featuring only once in 2017/18 – in the EFL Cup thrashing of Burton Albion.
And with Carrick out of contract in the summer, Aston Villa appear to be battling West Brom and Leicester City to add another former England star to their ranks.
Though a short-term deal for model professional with five Premier League titles to his name appears a no-brainer on paper, is all as it seems? The top flight is a different world to the Championship after all, and the concern is that Carrick, a composed and classy distributor, may lack the space and time necessary to play his game in a full-blooded environment.
There’s no doubting Carrick’s quality, but does he have the legs for a gruelling Championship campaign?
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