Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Paul Scholes: It's amazing Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick has so few caps for England

EXCLUSIVE: Carrick will be hoping to add to his collection during England's upcoming games

Paul Scholes
Thursday 26 March 2015 20:30 EDT
Comments
Michael Carrick wants one last hurrah at a major tournament with England
Michael Carrick wants one last hurrah at a major tournament with England (Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

I expect Michael Carrick to play for England against Lithuania tonight. He is back in favour for his club and it will probably follow that he plays for his country too. He should have played more for England than the 31 caps he has so far. It is incredible to think that he has one fewer than Danny Welbeck on 32.

I don’t think he has ever been given a proper run in the England team. As soon as the team has had a bad result, it is Michael who has paid the price. He made his debut in 2001 but he has played just one tournament game, against Ecuador in the 2006 World Cup finals. He should have played more at international level, and had he been Spanish or German he probably would have done.

Michael Carrick is mobbed by his Manchester United team-mates after scoring against former side Spurs
Michael Carrick is mobbed by his Manchester United team-mates after scoring against former side Spurs (GETTY IMAGES)

It is not for nothing that Michael has been the linchpin for United for so long. He has just never had the faith of the England managers he has played under.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in