Michael Carrick

An accomplished central midfielder currently playing for Manchester United and England.

A native of the North East, Michael moved to London at the age of 16 to further his career by joining the West Ham United Academy, one of the most prolific production lines in the country.

After helping the club to the 1999 FA Youth Cup, he made his professional debut and then had loan spells at both Swindon and Birmingham City before returning to Upton Park in 2001, where he swiftly established himself as one of the best young talents in the game.

Tall yet elegant on the ball, his range of passing quickly became the hallmark of his game and in 2004 Michael moved to rivals Tottenham Hotspur, a year after West Ham had been relegated from the top flight.

At White Hart Lane, he flourished into a complete player and, such was his burgeoning reputation, he joined Manchester United after just two seasons in North London. Installed immediately as a key component in Sir Alex Ferguson’s midfield, Michael has played an important and sometimes unsung role as the team have won four Premier League titles and the Champions League in his time at Old Trafford.

Michael has 22 international caps to date, the most recent coming against Mexico in May 2010, and has been part of