Michael Carrick divided between Newcastle and Man United.
Michael Carrick has given a diplomatic response to a question about whether he will support Newcastle United or Manchester United in the upcoming Carabao Cup Final.
The two Premier League sides will face off at Wembley on February 26th, when the first major piece of silverware of the season will be at stake.
For Carrick, the identity of the finalists has led to some divided loyalties, given that he is a boyhood Newcastle fan who went on to nine major trophies during a 12-year spell at Man United.
Now manager of Middlesbrough, the former midfielder gave a measured response when asked who he will be supporting later in the month.
Michael Carrick: “I’m delighted for both teams.”
“I’m not involved in that one!” he said a press conference ahead of Boro’s meeting with Mick McCarthy’s Blackpool on Saturday. “I’ve got enough going on here to worry about never mind what’s going on elsewhere.
“Listen, I live in Manchester and I played football there for so long. It’s been a big part of my life and still is. First and foremost, it’s great to see both clubs in the final and I’m delighted for both teams in different ways.”
Newcastle spell.
Both fanbases have had to endure long waits for a trophy, although Man United’s six-year barren spell is dwarfed by the length of time Magpies fans have been waiting for silverware.
Despite being born in 1981, Carrick has never seen Newcastle lift a trophy, with their most recent success coming in the now-defunct Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1969.
The closest they have come in the past few decades is when they lost back-to-back FA Cup Finals to Arsenal in 1998 and Man United in 1999.
47 – Newcastle have qualified for their first major cup final since 1999 (FA Cup), and their first League Cup final since 1976. Indeed, this gap of 47 years between League Cup final appearances is the longest for any team in the competition’s history. Return. pic.twitter.com/B19F7TgMlO
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 31, 2023
Man United trophy wait.
For Man United, their supporters were spoiled with success during the 1990s and 2000s, although the six-year stretch since they won the 2017 Europa League Final is their longest run without a trophy in four decades.
Carrick was part of that Red Devils side under Jose Mourinho, and given his early success in charge of Middlesbrough, he could well have sights on leading one of his beloved Uniteds to a trophy in years to come.
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