Manchester United will be losing one of their last remaining links to the Sir Alex Ferguson era come the end of the campaign, with the veteran midfielder Michael Carrick announcing his retirement after 12 years of service with The Red Devils.
The time has come
It has been an illustrious career in the middle of the Old Trafford turf for Carrick since arriving from Tottenham Hotspur in 2006, playing a whopping 436 matches in that time which has included 19 major trophies which has included five Premier League titles and two European trophies.
Carrick signed a new contract last summer as well as receiving the captain's armband, but the 36-year-old has barely featured this season having undergone treatment earlier in the season to fix an irregular heart rhythm.
The midfielder has thankfully returned since but ahead of the Champions League last-16 clash with Sevilla he announced his retirement at the end of the season, but his time with the club won't be over just yet stating that it is "likely" he will join José Mourinho's backroom staff.
"I think it's pretty much already been said," Carrick told his pre-match press conference. "To be honest with you."
"There comes a time when, as much as you like or don't like it, your body tells you it's time to stop playing football," the midfielder admitted. "That's pretty much where I'm at, which is fine. It's something you have to accept. That's where I'm at."
"Yes. It's kind of been sorted out," the midfielder stated whether he would be moving behind the scenes. "We're still talking about it, to be honest, so there's nothing totally confirmed as yet. But it's looking likely, yes."
He is a shining example
Obviously, the news has come as an upsetting incident for United fans, but won't be too worried about a replacement for the 36-year-old with the current emergence of youngster Scott McTominay.
The 21-year-old has managed to solidify a place in Mourinho's starting XI which has seen him called up for the Scotland senior squad for the games against Costa Rica and Hungary, and Carrick stated that the young Scotsman is on a "great track" to achieve a great professional career.
"I think it is quite refreshing to look at Scott and see how he deals with it," he said on the midfielder. "But he's still got some way to go to fully establish himself as a big player for this club but so far he's on a great track, he's given himself the best possible chance to fulfil that."
"He's a shining example to kids looking up to how you can be within yourself," Carrick concluded. "And how you are coping, your body language, mentality.
"He's done great."