Photo by John Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images
Photo by John Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images
Michael Carrick is somewhat of a unique character in the chest-thumping world of football, and Mark Clattenburg has explained why.
Despite Man Utd being at the end of some unfortunate decisions, Michael Carrick has made it a point to never antagonise referees.
Even when he’s completely exasperated, the most you’ll hear out of him is frustration without naming people or incidents.
United in Focus spoke to Mark Clattenburg, who gave insight into how Carrick was as a player, and how it explains his approach as the Man Utd manager.
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Mark Clattenburg on refereeing Michael Carrick
Clattenburg refereed many Man Utd games during his time as an elite Premier League referee, and it was during the days when Sir Alex Ferguson ruled with an iron fist.
Many stories have been told about how Sir Alex would keep even the referees in line with his sharp wit and indirect actions.
Many of these have been dramatised for effect, but it speaks volumes about Carrick as a player that even during that era, he was an exception.
When United had the law of the land, Carrick never stepped over the line and made Clattenburg’s life difficult, for which he had nothing but glowing things to say.
He said to United in Focus, “I refereed Michael Carrick on several occasions and that included their wins in the Community Shield and FA Cup final. Michael was a player who did not speak much to referees and would not give dissent.
“He would be a pleasure to referee and has made a great transition into management. From the North East to being manager of Manchester United is a great role model for other children.”
Carrick is the same as a manager as he was a player
Clattenburg’s insight won’t come as a surprise, and it explains Carrick’s measured approach to referees and the press in public.
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It’s hard to forget how Darren Fletcher squared up to the referees in his very first game as the interim manager last season.
Carrick is simply not that person who is confrontational in public, and he even has to face unfair criticism as a result.
The reality is that there is more than one way to survive in football, and Carrick wouldn’t have made it this far if he didn’t have a steely streak in him.
Shouting, jumping around, and calling everyone out when things go wrong is not in his DNA, and perhaps, that is the exact DNA this club needed, because it always lives on the edge of crisis.