Manchester United lose Michael Carrick to injury for four weeks

MANCHESTER United’s Michael Carrick has been ruled out for about four weeks as another teammate prepared to end his 12-year stay at Old Trafford.

Manchester United's English midfielder Michael Carrick celebrates after scoring the second goal during the English Premiership football match against Portsmouth at Old Trafford, Manchester, north-west England, on April 22, 2009. AFP PHOTO/ANDREW YATES. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY Additional licence required for any commercial/promotional use or use on TV or internet (except identical online version of newspaper) of Premier League/Football League photos. Tel DataCo 44 207 2981656. Do not alter/modify photo.

MANCHESTER United midfielder Michael Carrick has been ruled out for about four weeks as another teammate prepared to end his 12-year stay at Old Trafford.

Carrick has a muscle injury and could miss up to six games, depriving the team of a player who has been instrumental in improved results since November.

The England international has shored up United’s midfield since returning from a long-term injury during the 1-0 loss to Manchester City on November 2.

Manchester United's English midfielder Michael Carrick (R) falls over Cambridge Unite's English midfielder Cameron McGeehan.

United have lost only once in 14 games since then to sit fourth in the English Premier League heading into its home match against Leicester.

Louis Van Gaal also said Darren Fletcher, who like Carrick is a deputy to captain Wayne Rooney, is at West Ham ahead of a potential move to Upton Park. The Scotland midfielder has struggled for first-team opportunities under Van Gaal.

Manchester United's Scottish Midfielder Darren Fletcher.

Fletcher made his United debut in 2003 and has played 342 times despite missing almost two years due to ulcerative colitis, a debilitating illness.

“He is an important guy in the dressing room. I like him as a human being and as a player. We shall miss him,” Van Gaal said.

“But he has not played so many times; always that is the main goal of a player. We have talked about that. He prefers to play. Therefore, we have helped him to go away. For us, it is a miss, a loss.”