 On 10 June , Tottenham revealed they had rejected a bid from Manchester United for Carrick , who was seen by their manager Sir Alex Ferguson as a replacement for the departed Roy Keane , the former club captain . The following day , Tottenham manager Martin Jol insisted Carrick would be staying with the club , stating " I don 't want to lose a player like Michael , who was probably our best midfielder last season " . On 28 July , Tottenham announced that the clubs agreed a deal for the transfer of Carrick to Manchester United . Three days later , the transfer was official as personal terms were agreed with Carrick . Despite agreeing a deal for the player the previous week – the fee was not made public until Spurs issued a statement to the stock exchange . Manchester United 's chief executive David Gill confirmed the transfer fee as £ 14 million , potentially rising to £ 18 @.@ 6 million , which would make Carrick the sixth most expensive player acquired by Manchester United at the time . He was given the number 16 shirt , previously worn by Keane . 
