Carrick taking it 'year by year'

Michael Carrick © Gallo Images

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24 June 2017

Manchester United's 35-year-old midfielder Michael Carrick is focused on getting through one year at a time and believes that he can play into his late thirties like former teammates Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes.

Carrick, who has made over 450 appearances for United since joining in 2006, signed a one-year contract extension in May and the 2017-18 Premier League campaign will mark Carrick's 12th season at the club, where he has won five league titles.

"I haven't got an age in mind really, I need to just take it year by year," Carrick told Sky Sports.
"I said that last year, I said it the year before and I'll say it again next year too."

United veterans Giggs and Scholes made 963 and 716 appearances for
the team respectively, and Carrick believes he has learnt from them to increase longevity in the game.

"I've learnt a lot off of Giggsy and the likes of Scholes... I've been lucky enough to see that close to waters and I've taken things from that and tried to learn from it.

"It might take me as long as Giggsy, but I'm not too sure."

Carrick said that United can improve on last season's sixth-placed league finish and challenge for the Champions League trophy next season.

"We're looking up and we're looking to achieve something this year and win more trophies," the Briton added.

"A club like Manchester United needs to be in the Champions League and challenging for that trophy. You want to be playing at the top and challenging the best teams."

United will face Major League Soccer side Los Angeles Galaxy in their first pre-season fixture on July 16.