Turts

I am no meteorologist, but from memory, the setting sun can be a bastard at Wembley from the end we have. Arsenal fans, wouldn’t be the worst idea could to pack a pair of sunglasses Sunday…

Michael Carrick’s tougher than some of the headlines suggest. Tough enough to leave home at 15 for West Ham, move into digs with a bunch of Aussies, go out on loan to Swindon and Birmingham, fight his way up the professional ladder, argue with Daniel Levy in protracted departure from Spurs to Manchester United.... ....take Roy Keane’s old 16 shirt at United, convert his penalty in the 2008 CL final shootout, deal with many challengers to his position at United, win 18 trophies, play 34 times for England in the era of Gerrard, Lampard etc (and should have played more, especially at 2006).... ....work his way out of a depression in 2009 (only 4 people knew what he was going through), play again after a heart scare in 2017, take interim charge in 2021 man-managing characters like Ronaldo, Fernandes and Rashford and leading them to two wins and a draw in his three games in charge. This doesn't guarantee success in his current assignment. It's a really tough job given the imbalanced squad, the mood, the tensions between fan and board, and challenging imminent fixtures against City and Arsenal. But just because he's a polite, respectful individual, slightly "reserved" by his own admission, doesn’t mean Michael Carrick lacks resilience. And many of the experiences he's been through could help in man-management of United's players. Good luck to him. He's a sensible short-term caretaker solution while United look for a long-term manager in the summer.