Manchester United great Rio Ferdinand wants England manager Gareth Southgate to pick Michael Carrick in the England squad going to the World Cup.
The 36-year-old midfielder has already announced his decision to retire at the end of the season and has started transitioning to his coaching role next season by sitting on the bench as a coach for United's 2-0 win over Swansea.
The Englishman has not played for the national team since 2015 and has featured only four times this season for the Red Devils. He played just 36 times for the Three Lions between 2001 and 2015, and wasn't picked on a regular basis by England managers.
Rio Ferdinand on Michael Carrick: “He was undervalued by England. He should have had so many more caps. He would be the first one you’d put on the team to play now. If he was Italian, he’d be playing now.” [BT] pic.twitter.com/yu8A95vvDo
— Man Utd Channel (@ManUtdChannel) April 1, 2018
Talking on BT Sport, as per Manchester Evening News, Ferdinand said, "
"When we were asking for players who could pass the ball through midfield quickly through to the attackers who would then be a danger who could do it quickly in not three or four touches, he could do it in one or two touches," the former defender added.
The footballer-turned-pundit continued, "