Mark Brent handed award by Manchester United

Michael Carrick’s Manchester United picked up another point on the road on Friday night as they drew 2-2 with Bournemouth.

A cagey first half saw both sides enter the break without a goal but the second 45 saw Bruno Fernandes at the heart of United’s goals again.

The captain first converted his chance from the spot kick before delivering the ball into the box which was diverted in by Bournemouth’s James Hill.

The Cherries were able to answer both goals scored by Carrick’s Red Devils and both teams walked away with a share of the spoils.

The Old Trafford faithful were not best pleased with Stuart Attwell’s decision to wave away Amad’s penalty shout – but Liverpool and Chelsea both losing on Saturday eased the blow.

At the time of writing, the Red Devils are sat third in the Premier League table and have seven matches left to play. But the question is: does Carrick deserve the job on a full-time basis?

Something that has swayed some fans in favour of appointing Michael Carrick in the summer is his connection – and undying love – for the club, which is one he played 464 times for between 2006 and 2018.

That was proven recently by the 44-year-old taking time out of his busy schedule as Manchester United boss to surprise the younger generation of aspiring footballers.

He visited a community football session – called ‘Carrick’s Street Reds – and signed autographs for the young participants, while he also handed the Community Captain award for Mark Brent.

All 20 clubs in the Premier League have been asked to name an important figure as their ‘Community Captain’ – and Carrick was on hand to present the honour to Brent.

A long-serving coach at Carrick’s Street Reds, Brent first became involved with the initiative at the age of eight as an attendee.

Carrick’s Street Reds is a vital part of the Manchester United Foundation’s Street Reds programme – which is powered by Premier League Kicks.

It’s a free community football session (the one of 20 delivered across the Greater Manchester Area) and is for young people aged between eight and 18. Now, Brent has been awarded for his consistent hard work.

Speaking about the deserving recipient, Carrick said: “It’s brilliant for Mark. He’s been coming here for so long, so for him to get the award and for me to have the chance to present it to him, it was a really nice moment.

“You can tell it means a lot to him and he fully deserves it. We set out to give as many young people as many opportunities as we can, Mark has taken that with both hands and he’s progressed unbelievably well.

“He’s so dedicated and gives so much effort, you can see what it means for him to be here,” the interim United boss said, per the club’s official website.

Overcome with emotion, Mark said: “It means the world to win the Premier League Community Captain award. Being here since I was eight and all the hard work I’ve put in, volunteering, coaching and the constant progression I’ve had, I think it shows that it is recognised.

“We all know how busy Michael is at the minute, so for him to take time out of his schedule to come down here is incredible.

“He’s been so important for us here over the last eight years. it shows how much he values the work we’re doing and it shows how much this means to him,” he concluded.