Michael Carrick Injury Potentially a Huge Blow to Man Utd's Revival Hopes

Michael Carrick is set to be sidelined for up to six weeks with an Achilles injury. Manchester United confirmed the news via Twitter, and although it is bad news for England, his absence will be detrimental to Man Utd's current form.

Just as things were looking good for David Moyes' side, only a serious injury to Wayne Rooney or Robin van Persie would have been worse news for the manager.

Lionel Messi has recently been ruled out for up to eight weeks for Barcelona, but this season six weeks without Carrick is a bigger problem for Man Utd than two months without Messi for Barcelona.

Barca have players in form who can fill the role of Messi, and other players who can score their goals. There is Sánchez, Pedro and Neymar who can contribute the assists and goals. There is Fabregas who can fill the number 10 space Messi will leave vacant, and Iniesta can contribute the magic.

Man Utd do not have that luxury, especially in their midfield. Since the announcement, there has been calls for Marouane Fellaini and Tom Cleverley to step up their form to help fill the void, but there are no guarantees.

Yes, Fellaini has the best pass completion stats in the Premier League, his 88.6% trumping Carrick's 86.4%, but his clumsy and ineffective performances outweigh the passes as the Belgian struggles to prove his worth.

As for Cleverley, he is well on his way to becoming Man Utd's new resident 'crab'. A title previously held by none other than Raymond Colin Wilkins. The 24-year-old showed positive signs on loan at Watford and Wigan Athletic, and even in his first season as Man Utd starter.

However, he has become neither a real goal threat, nor a midfielder with an eye to unlock defences with one pass. He is more concerned with staying safe, and not taking chances as they come along.

It could be down to a lack of confidence due to recent injuries, but he chooses to take an extra touch and pass it sideways, or take the touch and the chance to shoot is gone.

Neither player shows the real composure which Carrick shows in his role as the only midfielder seemingly capable of anything good in the Man Utd team. There is a lot of weight on the shoulders of the 32-year-old and the question is, can Fellaini and Cleverly cope?

The road up to Christmas is not easy for the champions, either. The fixtures include back-to-back away games to Cardiff, Bayer Leverkusen and Tottenham respectively. There are also visits from Moyes' former club Everton and the in-form Newcastle United to contend with.

The festive period in the Premier League is when title hopes can be dashed or gain momentum. Man Utd have had a tough enough start to the season, but the revival train was just picking up speed. Carrick's absence is now a huge headache for Moyes, who was just figuring out his best XI.

He can find comfort in Phil Jones' ability to not just play in midfield, but perform well in his second-best position. Now he needs to trust the players he has at his disposal to step up in Carrick's absence, it is down to those players to prove to Moyes they have what it takes.