[3] Carrick was a defensive midfielder, but he was used as an emergency centre-back under Alex Ferguson, David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and José Mourinho.

The following season he was part of the side that won the 2008 Champions League final, playing the full 120 minutes as they enjoyed a 6–5 penalty shootout win, with Carrick converting his spot kick, to help achieve the European Double.

[14] According to his manager at the time, Harry Redknapp, Carrick's difficulty at the start of his career was mainly physical and he lost almost two seasons to injuries because of his rapid growth.

[20] Although he impressed during his spell he could not help the team find a much-needed win during his 6 outings,[21] playing his final game for them in a 3–0 defeat at Manchester City on 18 December.

[38] Rather than leave the club like teammates Joe Cole, Frédéric Kanouté and Jermain Defoe, Carrick stayed with West Ham during their first season back in the First Division.

"[15] He was linked with moves to a number of teams including Portsmouth, Arsenal, Everton, West Bromwich Albion and Crystal Palace before Tottenham Hotspur emerged as front-runners to sign him.

[45] He made a goalscoring appearance for the Tottenham reserves, but his first team debut for the club was delayed after suffering an injury setback on 13 September.

[52][53] Carrick subsequently ended the 2004–05 season with 29 league appearances but failed to score as they finished the table in 9th and missed out on a UEFA Cup spot.

[63] On 10 June, Tottenham revealed they had rejected a bid from Manchester United for Carrick, who was seen by their manager Sir Alex Ferguson as a replacement for the departed Roy Keane, the former club captain.

[64] The following day, Tottenham manager Martin Jol insisted Carrick would be staying with the club, stating "I don't want to lose a player like Michael, who was probably our best midfielder last season".

[67] Despite agreeing a deal for the player the previous week – the fee was not made public until Spurs issued a statement to the stock exchange.

[83] Carrick suffered an injury setback in October 2007 after breaking his elbow in a 1–0 home win over Roma in the Champions League group stage.

[92] The scoreline ended 1–1 after extra time, he took United's second penalty of the subsequent shootout, which he converted to help give him the first European honour of his career.

The goal was Carrick's first for United away from home and meant that they only needed one point from their final two games to gain a third successive Premier League title.

[107] Due to a defensive crisis during December, Carrick had to fill in at centre-back since Gary Neville, himself being played out of position, picked up an injury against West Ham United in a 4–0 away win.

[111] On 25 January 2010, Carrick scored the first-ever League Cup goal of his career in a 4–3 aggregate win over rivals Manchester City in the second leg of their semi-final tie.

[119] On 6 August 2010, it was announced that Carrick would miss the start of the 2010–11 season as a result of an ankle injury sustained in United's final pre-season game against a League of Ireland XI.

[125][126] However a few days later in the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City Carrick gave the ball away which led to the only goal of the game scored by Yaya Touré.

His inexperience in the role was exploited by Everton in the season opener, as Marouane Fellaini beat him to a corner kick to score the only goal of the game.

[144] His season was not helped by a persistent achilles problem that kept him out from November until December,[145] whilst new signings in midfield such as Marouane Fellaini had failed to perform.

[161] Carrick became a key member of José Mourinho's team and his performances were highly recognised for his ability to control play, instil calmness and pass accurately.

[168] He made his 464th and final appearance as a player for Manchester United in the last match of the league season against Watford at Old Trafford on 13 May, in which he helped create Marcus Rashford's game-winning goal as his side won 1–0.

[181] The game ended goalless after extra time, Portugal won 3–1 in the subsequent penalty shootout and knocked England out of the World Cup.

[200] In May 2012, England manager Roy Hodgson said he left Carrick out of the 23-man squad and the standby list for UEFA Euro 2012 because he had previously told The Football Association that he did not want to be a bit-part player, although he could help the team "in extremis".

[211] On 27 March 2015, Carrick made his first appearance for England in 17 months, starting the 4–0 UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying defeat of Lithuania at Wembley Stadium.

[212] On 31 March 2015, Carrick made his 33rd appearance for the national team as a substitute for Manchester United teammate and defender Chris Smalling, performing impressively to help England earn a draw against Italy in an international friendly match.

[222] Following a 3–2 victory against Arsenal on 2 December, Carrick stepped down as first team coach and left Manchester United with immediate effect, shortly after the appointment of Ralf Rangnick as interim manager, who would go on to remain in the role for the rest of the season.

[248] Carrick's intelligence and awareness were highlighted by former Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal, who labelled him his "trainer coach during the game".

[249] Furthermore, his importance to the team performance was constantly praised by former teammates Gary Neville and Paul Scholes,[250] as well as European peers Xavi[237] and Xabi Alonso.

[251] In 2015, The Telegraph included him at number one in their list of "The top 20 most under-rated footballers of all time", describing him as an "unassuming but highly intelligent and technically gifted deep-lying midfielder", who "has consistently performed well".