MANCHESTER UNITED legends Sir Alex Ferguson and Michael Carrick had plenty to chew over as they met at a plush Cheshire restaurant the day after the Red Devils’ disastrous 1-0 loss to Wolves at Old Trafford.
The pair dined at a swanky Italian in Wilmslow on Tuesday morning and were deep in conversation for more than two hours.
The pair arrived together and walked into Casa Italia just after 10am.
They were not joined by anyone for the entire time and left the eatery around 12:15pm.
Having chatted into the afternoon, the United icons stopped to bid farewell on the doorstep.
The much-loved Red Devils pair worked together for seven years at Old Trafford.
Carrick, 40, joined from Tottenham in 2006 for £18million and was Fergie’s colleague until the Scot, 80, retired in 2013.
Despite walking in to the restaurant together, the pair went their separate ways after a firm handshake – with both walking in different directions up the road.
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Fergie was in the stands to watch United’s 1-0 defeat by Wolves on Monday night.
Carrick spent 15 years at Old Trafford in total – 12 years as a player, making 464 appearances and scoring 24 goals.
The centre midfielder won five Premier League titles and a Champions League before stepping into a coaching role in 2018.
He worked under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer until the Norwegian was sacked in November and then stepped into the hot seat on a temporary basis.
In Carrick’s three games in charge, United beat Villarreal in the Champions League, drew at Premier League leaders Chelsea and then beat Arsenal.
But he was eventually replaced by Ralf Rangnick and chose to step down rather than stay on under the German.
‘BEST YEARS OF MY CAREER’
Carrick said: “My time at this great club will always rank as the best years of my career.
“When I first signed more than 15 years ago, I never in my wildest dreams could have imagined winning so many trophies.
“And I will certainly never forget the fantastic memories both as a player and as a member of the coaching team.
“However, after a lot of thought and deliberation, I have decided that now is the right time for me to leave the club.
“Over the last week it was creeping in a bit.
“I respected the club and the new manager coming in and wanted to make the decision before he came in and there’s no crossover whatsoever.
“I think it’s the right thing to do for the club and for Ralf.”
Carrick made it clear he wanted to spend more time with his family – a promise he’s made to his wife Lisa toward the end of his playing career.
And despite the Geordie’s decision, Rangnick revealed he wanted the West Ham academy product to stay on.
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He said: “I had a long private conversation with him (Carrick) for more than an hour.
“I was trying to convince him to stay on board but he had obviously taken that decision weeks ago that he needed a break and a rest after 30 years in professional football.
“In the end I had to accept that, in a way I can also understand his decision.”
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