Michael Carrick: Between the Lines: My Autobiography

by Michael Carrick

was back playing after two games, but bad news kept coming. 10 May 2016 was an absolutely mental, hideous day. We were staying at the Radisson, Canary Wharf before our match with West Ham and had just finished lunch. As we dispersed, Louis said, ‘Oh, I just want to speak to Michael.’ We went out of the room and found a quiet corner. The manager said, ‘You’re not starting tonight.’ Fair enough. It was what Louis said next that cut me open. ‘You’ll play the next two games, Bournemouth and the Cup final. But they’ll be your last two games, Michael.’ Wow. Louis was very forthright and didn’t sugar-coat his decision, ‘We’re not keeping you on.’ I guessed I was half-teed up for it. David Geiss had talked to Ed Woodward about a new contract but Ed kept delaying, saying, ‘End of the season, end of the season.’ I’d talked to Ed, ‘Look, just tell me either way. I could do with knowing so I can try and plan what’s happening with kids and schools if we’re going to move.’ Ed didn’t answer, so the longer it went on, the more I thought, Something’s not right here. But when the news finally came from Louis, it still hit me hard. ‘Two weeks,’ Louis told me. He’d called time on my career at Manchester United and the clock was ticking.