Aston Villa supporters in the Transfer Tavern were reasonably satisfied with their side on Sunday after seeing the Villans draw 0-0 at bitter rivals Birmingham City, a result which keeps the Midlands giants inside the Championship play-off places even if they did lose ground on leaders Sheffield United.
Chris Wilder’s Blades beat Leeds United 2-1 on Friday night to advance to the summit and go eight points clear of Steve Bruce’s Villa ahead of their clash with Steve Cotterill’s Blues. But after a tense encounter at St Andrew’s, both sides had to settle for a share of the spoils to leave the hosts just a place above the Championship relegation places, while their cross-city rivals Villa remained sixth in the table and a point clear of seventh place Derby County, who edged past Norwich City 2-1 at Carrow Road on Saturday.
Thus, there were mixed emotions from our resident Villans fans over the weekend but the overwhelming one was satisfaction, and as such they’ll hope to keep their decent run going when they travel to Preston North End on Wednesday night.
And many of those hardy Villa supporters lining up at the bar are also likely to be intrigued and perhaps encouraged by a recent report from The Daily Mirror, which details that they alongside Leicester City and West Brom are lining up a move for Manchester United’s Michael Carrick.
The 36-year-old has been at Old Trafford since 2006 but has struggled with injury so far this season, appearing just once in all competitions for Jose Mourinho’s men off the back of penning a new one-year deal over the summer.
Yet with the Red Devils having brought in Nemanja Matic during the summer, the former England international may struggle for gametime even when back to full fitness, and as such Villa are reportedly seeking to exploit that uncertainty by moving for him in the New Year.
And here are THREE reasons why Bruce must beat Leicester to the £1.35 million-rated ace (as per Transfermarkt)…
Vastly experienced
There aren’t many players still playing who can boast in excess of 400 Premier League appearances, but Carrick certainly can.
The 36-year-old has played 460 games for United in the last 11 years and has over 650 first team appearances to his name throughout his senior career, having played over 100 times for West Ham and 72 times for Tottenham.
And with 34 England caps to his name as well, a number many feel should be significantly higher, the midfielder boasts a vast amount of experience which is surely going to benefit Villa, even though none of it has come in the Championship.
But given that John Terry has adapted reasonably well to the demands of the division this term, Carrick should be able to do the same given how technically gifted and composed he is on the ball.
Still a very talented midfielder
Ultimately, United have seriously struggled in the last five years or so to find a suitable replacement for Carrick, underlining the integral role he has played at Old Trafford throughout his time at the club.
The Red Devils have tried but generally failed to find someone as composed and as effective as the 36-year-old in the middle of the park, yet Nemanja Matic’s arrival from Chelsea during the summer suggests that they may well have found that man at long last.
But with 38 appearances in all competitions last season, the Englishman played a huge part in helping United win two trophies under Mourinho, and it was often evident how much more the Red Devils struggled when Carrick was not in the side.
This term has been slightly different given Matic’s arrival, but it ultimately doesn’t detract from how talented and accomplished Carrick remains, and thus how crucial he could be for Villa.
Huge presence on and off the pitch
Terry’s arrival at Villa as both a defender and a leader would have had a huge boost both on and off the pitch, and Carrick’s addition would surely have a similar impact.
Manager Bruce placed a lot of emphasis on experience during the summer by landing Terry, Glenn Whelan, and Chris Samba, with the former Birmingham and Hull chief clearly hoping that that experience will play a key role in helping them achieve promotion to the Premier League.
And landing Carrick will only seek to reinforce that, with the 36-year-old, like Terry, boasting several years of elite level football as well as the know-how to succeed and get the job done.
That could prove to be invaluable as the season progresses, and Bruce will then be calling upon these experienced pros to help the club get over the line at the business end of the campaign.
