Carrick completes medical for United

Michael Carrick has completed his medical and is expected to be formally confirmed as a Manchester United player either later this evening or tomorrow morning.

The 25-year-old England international spent the day undergoing tests before the formalities of his £18.6m (€27.21m) move from Tottenham are completed.

United have pencilled in a press conference for Wednesday to unveil the fifth-most expensive signing in their history and Carrick has already been assigned squad number 16 – previously worn by Irish skipper Roy Keane – ahead of a likely appearance in this weekend’s Amsterdam tournament.

After spending most of the summer searching for midfield reinforcements, Alex Ferguson will be delighted to have finally captured his number one target.

The United boss will hope Carrick’s passing ability can offer an extra dimension to his midfield, which saw an unlikely combination of John O’Shea and Ryan Giggs deployed at its heart during the latter stages of last season following Keane’s abrupt exit.