It’s not just David de Gea who’s coming in for plenty of praise from Gary Neville.
The former Manchester United right back has singled out Michael Carrick for some serious compliments this week, comparing his skill set with that of the best European midfielders out there.
“I’d say Carrick has the qualities of a Scholes or Andrea Pirlo, and of a Sergio Busquets,” Neville said, in quotes appearing in the Daily Mirror.
“Busquets does more defending and Pirlo is more of a rhythm player, like Scholes. Michael is a mix between the two styles. It’s unfair to say he is the same as one or the other — he’s different — but he has those qualities.
“He’s critical for Louis van Gaal and he’s a very important player for England in the next 12 months leading up to a European Championship. Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard have retired, and now Michael Carrick has an opportunity.”
And just in case you’re fonder of a musical analogy than a sporting comparison, Neville’s got just the description for you.
“I describe him as a piano,” he said. “You can go into a bar and listen to rock music, but Carrick is more like a piano player. He’s peaceful. He’s calm, he brings composure to everyone else around him.
“That’s important for young players. We want cultured players. We want players who can see the game, who are intelligent, who understand the game, where to be, when to be [there] and be a coach out on the pitch. That’s what he is.
“The reality is Michael Carrick will be remembered incredibly well by Manchester United players that played with him. But he’ll only be respected when he finishes. He’s an unsung hero.
“In three, four years’ time we will think, ‘What a hell of a player he was.’ No other country would ever do that.”
Difficult to argue with this really.
