Michael Carrick has revealed how he kept his cool during a fierce dressing-down from Sir Alex Ferguson, despite being 'fuming' inside. The incident occurred at half-time during Manchester United's 2008 Club World Cup match against Ecuadorian side Liga de Quito in Yokohama.
In his autobiography, 'Between the Lines', Carrick wrote that Ferguson had been urging him to pass the ball forward more often. As Carrick entered the changing room, Ferguson launched into him, shouting: 'Pass the f***ing ball forward, I f***ing told you.' Carrick described the Scot as 'raging' and said he had to sit quietly and let Ferguson blow off steam.
Carrick explained: 'On the outside, I was calm, nodding at the boss's points, hiding my anger. On the inside, I was fuming, saying to myself, “I must have played 40 passes forward here, and he's picked the one where I've gone back”. But the boss was so wound up that I didn't dare voice my defence.'
Despite the clash, Ferguson later praised Carrick's character, citing his decision at 16 to leave Newcastle for West Ham's academy as evidence of his determination. Ferguson said: 'That tells you that the boy had the confidence that he was going to make it. From the minute we bought Michael in 2006, his character has always been outstanding.'
Now Manchester United's interim manager, Carrick has led the team to four consecutive wins and faces his former club West Ham on Saturday. A victory would see United leapfrog Aston Villa into third place in the Premier League.
