Player profile

Carrick survived the cut in England’s squad despite an under-par audition in the pre-World Cup friendly victory over Mexico and the fact that he was noticeably absent during the climax to Manchester United’s season - his mistake led to a goal for Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-final defeat and he was demoted to the bench for the rest of the season.

The cultured midfielder admitted last October that “things haven’t worked out with England as I would have liked.” His first two England caps came in 2001, but there was a four-year wait until he was selected again and his only competitive appearance under Fabio Capello was in the 1-0 defeat to Ukraine in the penultimate World Cup qualifier, when England had already secured their place in the finals.

He played once at the 2006 World Cup, when handed a surprise start against Ecuador in the second round but was dropped for the next game against Portugal, which England lost on penalties.

A product of West Ham’s youth academy, he had a spell at Tottenham before an £18.6m move to Manchester United in 2006. Since then, Carrick has won the Champions League, three Premier League titles, two League Cups and the World Club Cup.