He told The Times: “We talked about Carrick for a long time when he was leaving West Ham, but it didn’t quite come off.
“He was one player we were really interested in and he’s turned into an excellent player.
“Am I surprised? No, I think when you look back you’d have to say that maybe all the signs were there.
“Maybe Tottenham were the ones who saw the potential that could come through, but it looks as though (Man) United are getting the best out of it, even though I thought he was already a really good player at Tottenham.
“I think he’s taken his game to the next level at United, though.”
