Michael Carrick explains why he was depressed going away with England

Michael Carrick will go down in history as a Manchester United legend. The underrated midfielder calls time on a glittering career in just a few weeks.

However, football hasn’t always been a happy place for the former Tottenham Hotspur man. In a compelling BBC interview, the veteran has explained that he found it hard going away with the England national team, adding it was ‘almost depressing’ in a way.

You just have to respect Carrick for coming out and admitting this, it wouldn’t have been easy for him to take himself away from the international stage. Sometimes, though, there are more important things in life than football.

“I’d been in the squad a long time and I’ll be honest, I was finding it hard going away with England. I didn’t mind going away with United pre-season for three weeks or whatever and coming back, but going with England, it was almost depressing in a way.” Carrick told the BBC, per The Guardian.

“It made me really down, so I came to the point after South Africa where I thought: ‘I can’t do that again.’ People would be saying: ‘Pull yourself together and be grateful for it’ and I understood the position I was in, the privileged position I was in, but I just found it so hard and I couldn’t deal with it anymore.

“I was probably on the verge of … yes, I was depressed at times, yes. I told the FA: ‘Look, please don’t pick me.’”

I always thought that his 34 caps was some way short of his talent levels, but now we know the truth. His experience back in 2010 has left a long-lasting negative impression on his time with the Three Lions, and you cannot blame him for taking himself away from the situation.

For Manchester United, though, Carrick has always been excellent. We’ve been truly lucky to have him for so long.

As a player, this man will dearly be missed. However, I have the utmost confidence that having Carrick at Old Trafford in a coaching capacity can only be a good thing for the Red Devils. His experience, wisdom and know-how will rub off on the squad, and I think we’re seeing his effect already.

In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14.