'No disrespect to Tottenham - but I was just desperate to join Man United'

Carrick was at the 2006 World Cup with England when he found out that United wanted to sign him. He'd only spent two years at Tottenham, but was immediately sold on the idea of moving to Manchester.

"It seemed to drag on," Carrick recalled. "I was desperate to come. It was a no-brainer for me as soon as I found out United were interested. The first time I spoke to the manager was on the phone when the move was all sorted. I’ve never been so nervous about getting a call in my life."

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To get it, it's a simple one-two punch.

Carrick rose through the West Ham academy after being plucked from Wallsend Boys' Club in Newcastle, but it was during his two-year stint with Spurs that he announced himself as a top prospect.

However, Carrick's time at Tottenham wasn't plain sailing at first. Jacques Santini was in charge of Spurs when he signed, but he was not responsible for signing him and did not consider him a good addition to his squad.

Former Tottenham sporting director Frank Arnesen pushed the deal through. "I spoke with Michael about how he has to play, where we think he has to play, knowing that our coach was not so fond of it," Arnesen told Sky Sports.

"Obviously, I didn't tell him that. Obviously, Tottenham is Tottenham, it's a very attractive club to play for. He [Santini] was not very happy about it. I said listen, he's a very good player. I told him I was absolutely sure he would like him, but he said, 'I don't really think I need him'."

Carrick sensed he was not wanted by Santini as soon as he walked into his manager's office. "I got to the training ground and I think there was a little bit of a clash going on, as Frank has kind of signed me," he recalled.

"And then I walked into the office to meet Santini at the time. I don't think he really knew who I was. I remember coming out and speaking to my agent, thinking he didn't know who I was, did he?

"And he said, "I'm glad you said that, because I thought the same thing." It was a funny start, being in the reserves for three months really and not kicking a ball."

The turning point for Carrick was Martin Jol's appointment as Santini's replacement when he was sacked. "I can remember when we had our first game, it was horrific to be 2-0 down at half-time," Jol said.

"So I decided to change it, and I put Michael on. He turned the game on his own. The first thing he did was go past three or four men. He never used frills too much. He kept it simple. And I thought I had to play this guy."

Once Carrick got into the team under Jol, he showed his class and enjoyed his time at Tottenham. "For the next 18 months or so I loved it. Absolutely loved it. Great club, and Martin was fantastic for me," he explained.

"He put me in the team and gave me a lot of responsibility. It's funny, the sliding doors, as my career could have gone down a whole different path if Jacques Santini stayed as manager or whatever and didn't really fancy me, and then I don't know where I'd have ended up, really."

Carrick did not know it at the time, but the announcement that Roy Keane would leave United after a trophy-laden 12 years would change the course of his career, as he was identified as a replacement.

"I was so happy at Tottenham. I really loved it at Tottenham, you know? A great side, I had a really good team, really settled," he said. "I wanted to go to Man United on one side, but I didn't want to leave Tottenham on the other."

Former United chief executive David Gill was key during negotiations with Tottenham. "We had tried numerous players in Roy's position, and it hadn't worked out for whatever reason, but Michael was a proven player in the Premier League," said Gill.

"Over time, I got to know which players Sir Alex (Ferguson) definitely wanted, and which players he would like to have, possibly, but he wasn't that worried if we missed out on them. Michael was certainly in that category - one player that he definitely wanted.

"We felt he would definitely improve the team and be a stalwart for many years. United were a very, very attractive team to come to at that time. They still are, but probably even more so in those days, particularly with Alex as the manager.

"I think Michael was very clear that he'd like to come to us to challenge himself at the top level. Spurs were an excellent team, don't get me wrong, but at the top, top level in the Champions League etc, so I was confident."

Daniel Levy, former Spurs chairman, initially set a £12m price tag for Carrick, but he insisted on more when push came to shove. Gill was never tempted to walk away from negotiations, however.

"I think the very fact that Alex wanted him and we wanted him was big," he said. "Now, clearly, there would be a price that perhaps you would have to walk away, but I don't think we'd ever get to that situation. The player wanted to come to us, and that is a key, key element of any transfer negotiation, I think."

Carrick recalled: "Daniel said he would be happy with between £10m and £12m for me, and then he managed to get £18m. That was Daniel, and fair play to him.

"I drove up to Manchester with a few bags of clothes, and I never went back to the house after that. I met David Gill and I spoke to Sir Alex on the phone once. I hadn't really discussed an awful lot with him, I just thought that if they want me, then I was definitely joining."

When Carrick finally spoke to Ferguson in person, he feared his start at United could be just as bad as his first few months at Tottenham. "He invited me into his office for a chat," he said.

"I'll never forget this... I sat down, really kind of nervous, and was trying to catch my breath. And I was 25, kind of established, and played for England, but I was massively affected by just sitting across from him.

"And he said, 'Yeah, this is Man United, son. You'll love it. We do things differently, people expect different things here, and people look at you differently when you're at Man United, and you're used to winning'.

"I haven't got a clue why I said it, but Chelsea had won the league two years in a row, so I said 'oh, similar to what Chelsea are going through at the minute'. As it was coming out of my mouth, I was kind of trying to stop myself from saying it, but I did.

"He just stopped me dead. I stopped myself dead and replied: 'No, son, we're different. We're Manchester United. We're different from the rest.' And I thought, why have I just said that? He's not going to play me ever again!"

Carrick went on to play 464 games, winning five Premier League titles, the FA Cup, two League Cups and the Champions League.

He is now trying to deliver silverware for the club as its head coach and would love nothing more than a win against his former side this weekend.