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Shaw reckons ‘underrated’ Carrick could still play in the Premier League

Luke Shaw believes Michael Carrick remains ‘underrated’ by club and country and reckons the now-retired midfielder still has the quality to play in the Premier League.

Carrick spent over a decade at Manchester United and completed a clean sweep of major honours before announcing his retirement from the game two years ago, moving into the club’s backroom staff where he continues to work as an assistant to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Despite an Old Trafford career that delivered 450 appearances and 11 major honours, Shaw believes Carrick remains an underrated figure in the club’s history and says the former midfielder still shows glimpses of his quality when joining in with the first-team training sessions at Carrington.

“I’ve got a little feeling that David Beckham is maybe a little bit underrated, but the one that stands out for me is Michael Carrick,” Shaw told the Man Utd website.

“I think not just for United – he was massively underrated for England as well. When I first joined United, he was getting a bit older but he still had so much quality. He’s still got it now, to be fair.

“I genuinely think he could still play in the Premier League, based on what we sometimes see from him in training.

“I don’t think he got the recognition he deserved and when people do look back at important players for United, you look at all the trophies he won, and he was a key member of the team in that era.”

Carrick’s career at United saw him become one of the most decorated players in English football history, though his achievements at club level were not reflected on the international stage where he struggled to command a starting berth, often overlooked for the likes of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, leaving Carrick with just 34 international caps.

“He was so underused by England,” Shaw added. “He’s not just one that would sit in front of the back four and clean things up – for me he was one of the best midfield passers I’ve ever seen, honestly.

“The way he could play the ball through the lines or in behind, he wasn’t afraid to try things. He was one of the best of his time in his position and if people have a proper think about it, they’ll see that he was competing with amazing, world-class players like Lampard and Gerrard at the time.

“I think Carras deserves to be in that bracket too, and I’m not just saying this because he’s my coach now!”

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