Michael Carrick told FA chiefs not to pick him to play for England because he found international duty 'depressing'

The Manchester United midfielder, 36, failed to play a single minute for Fabio Capello’s side at the 2010 World Cup and revealed he pleaded not to be selected again.

He said: “I was finding it hard going away with England. I had been in the squad a long time.

“I didn’t mind going away with United in pre-season for three weeks or whatever then coming back.

“But going with England it was almost depressing — it made me really down.”

Carrick, who will retire at the end of the season, was also in the 2006 World Cup squad.


And he told the BBC’s Premier League show: “After South Africa in 2010 thought I can’t do that again. I understood the privileged position I was in but I just couldn’t deal with it anymore.

"I was probably on the verge of . . . yes, I was depressed at times, yes. I told the FA, ‘look just please don’t pick me’.”



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After those finals, Carrick, whose only game at a World Cup came against Ecuador in 2006, was not selected for another major tournament.

Despite a glittering club career — he lifted the title five times and the Champions League with United in 2008 — Carrick won only 34 caps, his last one against Spain in a 2015 friendly.

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