31 May 2005
Exclusive: Michael Carrick interview

England midfielder Michael Carrick spoke exclusively to TheFA.com after the game at the Giants Stadium.


After nearly four years without a senior cap, Michael Carrick grabbed his opportunity in the USA with both hands, shining as one of England's stars of the tour.  

The Spurs midfielder played two full games, against the USA and Colombia, and told TheFA.com that he was delighted with the way things went.

"I'm quite satisfied to be honest, it's been a great trip for me but I didn't expect to play two full games," he admitted. 

"To come away having played for your country like that, it's a big plus for me. Two wins as well, I'm pretty happy."

The youthful England side, which had five debutants in their ranks, came away from the States with two wins against two difficult, non-European opponents, and Carrick praised the way Sven's team performed.   

"I thought we played well in both games, we played decent football," he said. 

"They were tough games so you're not going to have the ball for the whole 90 minutes.

"After the first game, I got a bit of a lift, it went really well for me. A little bit more experience, a little bit more belief."

He added: "Colombia came at us in the second half and played pretty well, so it was nice to come away with the win."

That victory was courtesy of three Michael Owen goals, and 23-year-old Carrick believes that with the addition of the Real Madrid striker, and captain David Beckham, to the team that beat the USA on Saturday, England's younger players had two fine players to learn even more from.

"It's great playing with world class players and there's a lot of young players in the squad a lot of talent.

"But when you've got people like Michael Owen and Becks coming back, it gives you a big boost.

"With Michael getting a hat-trick and us getting the win, I think everyone is really delighted," he said. 

"Michael's one of the best in the world, he never stops scoring goals. Give him a chance and he'll put it away."

Now, though, when the confident Carrick returns to Spurs from his summer break, he's hoping to continue on the same run of form shown in the USA with Germany 2006 moving ever closer.

"It's World Cup year, everyone will be wanting to play well to get on that plane, but we'll have to see how it goes."

To watch or listen to the full interview with Michael Carrick, click on the links above.