Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney looked to have made his final appearance for Manchester United in Michael Carrick’s testimonial on Sunday.
The 31-year old star have had a disappointing season under Jose Mourinho and is expected to leave the club in the summer and the record goalscorer for United was seen lingering as he went into the tunnel after the final whistle.
Manchester United legend Paul Scholes believes Michael Carrick still has the quality to anchor the central midfield for the club next season as he was awarded a new one year contract after his impressive performances for the club this season.
Another legend Ryan Giggs also praised the man of the moment, Carrick as he backed the veteran midfielder to come good for the club next season.
“Michael makes players around him play better,” said Giggs. “He’s got that calming influence that you can see on and off the pitch, it’s a pleasure to play with him.
“When you play with players, you want to trust them when they have the ball and Michael is one of those players.
“When he is on the pitch, you can trust him. He always makes the right decision.”
The iconic Old Trafford saw a great turn out as 70,000 spectators have witnessed the game against Manchester United 08 XI vs Michael Carrick’s All Star XI on Sunday and helped Carrick’s charity foundation raise over £1 million in a thrilling 2-2 draw.
The crowd were in high spirits in the stands and the stadium is packed with high security in the recent events across England as there was terror attacks in Manchester last month while London got effected this week.
Speaking after the game, Michael Carrick said: “The game had extra significance after what has happened in the light of what happened last week,” said Carrick. “I can’t thank everyone enough from the players to the staff to the fans to everyone. There has been so much help and support. I am so proud of everything that we have achieved.
“Everyone deserves a break now because especially in the last week with moving the kick off time and a lot of changes having to be made it was quite a stressful week but in the end we have made it.
“It was a success and better than I could have hoped for. I am delighted.
“I can switch off now. I can totally switch off now when I go away with the family.
“I will probably throw my phone in the sea so I don’t have to answer any more calls or emails and just get my head together again and be ready again to be back for pre-season and do it all over again.”
Wayne Rooney was a loyal servant for Manchester United in the last 13 seasons but could play more restrictive role under Mourinho if he decides to stay at Old Trafford. He might be moving away from the club this summer as he looks to get more playing time and may be a new challenge in his staggering career.