PANIC!
What do you do when all your defenders are either injured, rubbish, or injured and rubbish? Well, if you’re Louis van Gaal, you stick a midfielder at the back. That’ll sort it.
That, at least, is what the Daily Mail reckon Van Gaal is readying himself to do. Not just any midfielder, either, but Michael Carrick, who hasn’t played any competitive football since the end of last season, has only just begun running on grass, and has been looking pretty creaky in his preferred position over the last year or so. Apparently:
the 33-year-old is now doing some training at Carrington and has already had a conversation with Van Gaal about possibly playing in the centre of defence. The Dutch coach is trying to steady the ship at the start of what is proving to be a traumatic Barclays Premier League season.
It’s okay, though. The Mail quite like the idea.
Carrick has played in the centre of the defence before during the Sir Alex Ferguson era and has the experience and intelligence to operate in that role.
No word on whether he has the legs, the heading, the tackling, the running, the central defending …
