Sir Alex Ferguson Talks Michael Carrick, Wayne Rooney, Louis Van Gaal and More

Former Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson believes Michael Carrick outshines Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard as "the best English player" in football.

The Scottish legend is also mightily impressed with David De Gea's performances and expects Louis van Gaal to keep improving the Red Devils. David McDonnell of the Mirror reported Ferguson's comments on Carrick, which were interspersed with other United chatter during an interview with BT Sport's Clare Balding:

"

I think Michael Carrick is the best centre midfield player in English football.

I think he's the best English player in the game. I think Robin Van Persie, the World Cup had maybe taken a little bit out of him, but you watch him in the second half, he'll be fine. Rooney is back flying and Rooney will always get you a goal, and that's always an advantage when a team has got a goalscorer in a team.

"

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Much like Sergio Busquets at Barcelona, Carrick fulfills a role which is invaluable to his team. His ability to control the tempo—in which he dictates possession with subtle touches, keeps the ball moving forward and breaks up play—can be undetectable to the untrained eye.

He often doesn't receive the credit he deserves, but without individuals like Carrick, United's superstar strikers wouldn't have the opportunity to shine so readily.

This season, Van Gaal has leaned on the 33-year-old to flit between midfield and an unnatural centre-back duty. His positional intelligence and quality with the ball at his feet has allowed him to outshine defenders such as Jonny Evans and Phil Jones. It's no coincidence United have won six and drawn one of the seven games Carrick has played 90 minutes in this season.

Squawka highlighted his performance against Aston Villa, while B/R UK's Rob Blanchette indicated Carrick has found his form since returning from injury:

Ferguson also used to rely on the midfielder. He knows this United squad well and is pleased to see the progress made by De Gea. "The one that's most pleasing to me of the present lot is David De Gea," said Fergie, per McDonnell. "When we bought him he was a kid, he was skinny, but he had an ability. He's got special talents, and it's shown."

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De Gea made a fantastic save from Christian Benteke's close-range header to maintain a point against Villa at the weekend. He has won the Old Trafford side numerous points this season by making a variation of match-defining stops. Everton, Arsenal, Stoke and Liverpool all have De Gea to thank for getting nothing from facing Van Gaal's side.

Premier League fans, as highlighted by the division's official Twitter account, also believe De Gea has posted a stunning season so far:

Ferguson appears to be expecting great things from Van Gaal. "Once they get the players back they'll be fine," he said, per McDonnell. "And when he gets the best players back, you watch United, because he's a great coach, he'll do well."

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United traditionally get stronger after Christmas. Supporters will be pleased with their current position of third in the Premier League—realistically, this is as high as the club can achieve—as Champions League football remains a possibility for next season.

With a strong January transfer window, Van Gaal may be able to consolidate United's placing in the top four. Football pundit Andy Brassell recently told B/R UK's Ryan Bailey exactly who United need to improve their chances of success in January:

Qualifying for Europe's elite competition is a minimum requirement. It's perhaps encouraging that the side are yet to truly hit their stride and, indeed, consistently deploy a team which isn't riddled with injuries. It will be interesting to see exactly what United can achieve when they possess a fully functional squad.

Leaders such as Carrick and De Gea will need to continue stepping up, but as Christmas arrives United should be encouraged by their haul of 32 points from 17 games. It didn't look like a top-four finish would be possible when Leicester struck five beyond them in September, but things appear to be moving in the right direction for the club.