Newcastle And Inter Milan Rebuffed In Attempts To Sign Geordie Talisman

Man Utd are determined not to let Michael Carrick leave this summer.

By Chris Waugh /

Newcastle United and Inter Milan have both been knocked back in their ambitious attempts to prise midfield veteran Michael Carrick away from Manchester United. The Sunday People claims that, despite both the Magpies and the Italian giants having approached the Red Devils for the 33-year-old Newcastle-born midfielder's signature, Man Utd remain determined to hold on to one of their star assets. Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin have already arrived at Old Trafford this summer from Bayern Munich and Southampton respectively, but this report suggests that the Premier League's most-successful club are not willing to allow one of the key cogs of their side over the past decade to leave imminently.
The report also claims that Steve McClaren, a former assistant boss at Old Trafford, had hoped to shape his Newcastle midfield around 33-cap England international Carrick going forward, but that now appears unlikely if this supposed move has been rebuffed. Born in the Newcastle area, Carrick played his youth football at Wallsend Boys Club - the same place where Alan Shearer first started kicking a football in earnest - but was snapped up by West Ham United's youth academy. As well as being sent on loan to Swindon Town (1999) and Birmingham City (2000), Carrick scored six goals in 159 appearances for the Hammers before Tottenham Hotspur signed the midfielder for £3.5 million in August 2004. After impressing during 75 appearances over the next two seasons at White Hart Lane, Man Utd then parted with more than £14 million to take him to Old Trafford in 2006. In the nine years since, Carrick has scored 23 goals in 379 Man Utd appearances - winning five Premier League titles, five FA Community Shields, a League Cup, a FIFA Club World Cup and the UEFA Champions League in the process. Carrick would therefore prove to be quite a coup for Newcastle should the Magpies be able to tempt him to return to the North East. For all the latest NUFC News, Views and Transfers make sure to follow whatculture.com/NUFC on Twitter and Facebook.