Sat 04 Apr 2007Silencing the sceptics in some styleEnglish FA Cup Semi-final: Today Manchester Utd v Watford
Venue: Villa Park Kick-off: 5.30pm On TV: BBC 1:Inheriting
Roy Keane's number 16 shirt at Old Trafford was never an issue for
Michael Carrick, writes
Daniel Taylor.For a player who passes the ball as beautifully as Michael
Carrick, it is strange how scepticism has attached itself to him at
every club. At West Ham he was thought of as the rosebud that never
properly flowered. At Tottenham the fans likened him to Glenn
Hoddle, yet complained that he still fell short. And in his early
days at Manchester United there was an obsession with his £18
million price tag and serious misgivings about whether he was
equipped to take over from a once-in-a-lifetime legend such as Roy
Keane.