Michael Carrick to be named Manchester United captain?

From the same source that reported Wayne Rooney’s imminent move to Everton, comes a new, related update: Michael Carrick is set to be named as Rooney’s replacement in the captain’s chair. There is no such thing as a literal captain’s chair, of course, because Manchester United is a football club, not a spaceship. Carrick recently signed a one year contract extension that will take him into his twelfth year at Old Trafford, so is in line for the captaincy on seniority grounds. Fan favorite Ander Herrera is set to be named as vice-captain.

Carrick, as now the longest serving member of United’s playing staff, is a safe - if somewhat uninspiring - choice for club captain. Without any clear choice for the armband among the expected regular starters, making Carrick the official skipper for a year gives the other other candidates an opportunity to grow into positions of dressing room leadership.

Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

That said, naming a fringe player as captain is more symbolic than it is useful. Carrick was not a first choice player last season, and with midfield reinforcements expected this summer, it would be cause for concern if, at 37 years old, he were to start more than a third of the matches next season. If vice-captain Ander Herrera is going to wear the armband the majority of the time on the pitch anyway, why not name him captain outright and be done with it?

What do you think, readers? Is Carrick the best choice to replace Rooney as captain? If not Carrick, then who?