Michael Carrick signed for Manchester United from Tottenham on this day in 2006.
United paid an initial £14million – rising to a potential £18.6m – for the then 25-year-old England midfielder, who went on to spend the rest of his playing career with the Red Devils.
He made 464 appearances for the club, winning five Premier League titles, the Champions League, Europa League, FA Cup, two League Cups and the FIFA Club World Cup before retiring in 2018.
He arrived at United a year after the departure of Roy Keane and inherited the Irishman’s old number 16 shirt.
The deal, which made Carrick the sixth most expensive player in United’s history, came to fruition after protracted negotiations with Spurs, who held out for a price close to their £20m valuation.
“Michael has completed his medical today,” United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said. “He has settled down fine.
“I spoke to him today. I said to him, ‘I’m giving you the number 16 jersey’ so he was delighted at that.”
Spurs had hoped to keep Carrick but the fee ensured they made a handsome profit on a player they signed for £2.75m from West Ham two years previously.
“This is a move Michael wants to make,” Spurs boss Martin Jol said. “We have given him every reason to stay but he has asked to be allowed to leave.”
Carrick joined the United coaching staff under then manager Jose Mourinho after hanging up his boots at the end of the 2017-18 campaign. He continued under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and had a brief spell as caretaker manager after the Norwegian was sacked in November 2021.
He left the club after the appointment of Ralf Rangnick as interim manager in December of that year, and was appointed Middlesbrough head coach last year, leading the club to the Championship play-offs in May.
