Michael Carrick aims for long career

Michael Carrick has insisted that he feels fit enough to continue his playing career for a number of seasons.

The Manchester United midfielder will turn 32 in the summer, but hopes to remain a regular in the squad for several more years.

Carrick told Sky Sports News: "When I started out in the game, once people saw you were past 30 they thought you were on a downward spiral in terms of your career and you had peaked at 28 or 29.

"Now I think you reach that stage a lot later and I'm feeling great. There is also the responsibility of leading the younger boys and showing them just how to do things and how to act, not just on the pitch but off it.

"This is my seventh season here and the older you get, playing a lot of games all helps."

Carrick made his Premier League debut in 1999 while playing for West Ham.