Carrick excited by Moyes arrival

Carrick excited by Moyes arrival

Published May. 20, 2013 3:15 p.m. ET

Norwich striker Simeon Jackson and midfielder Korey Smith are among 10 players who have been released by the Premier League club.

The Canaries secured their top-flight status earlier this month and have started trimming their squad ahead of next season, with defenders Marc Tierney and Elliott Ward also leaving in the summer.

Norwich have already confirmed that striker Chris Martin will join Derby after making 117 appearances for the club, while youngsters Tom Adeyemi and George Francomb will not be given new deals.

Goalkeeper Lee Camp only joined in January, but will be allowed to leave, and development squad players Ramil Sheriff and Scott Olumide Durojaiye have also been released.

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Canadian international Jackson scored 21 goals in 86 appearances and helped fire the club to promotion from the Championship in 2011.

Korey Smith graduated from the club's academy, racking up 73 appearances and four goals, while defender Ward has made 55 appearances and scored one goal, but he did spend last season on loan at Nottingham Forest.

Tierney joined from Colchester United in January 2011 and clocked up 39 appearances in his two years at Carrow Road.

Tierney is out of contract at Norwich this summer and is available on a free transfer.

The 27-year-old saw his season blighted by a serious groin injury and he found himself down the pecking order following the arrival of Javier Garrido.

Bolton are on the lookout for a new left-back with Marcos Alonso expected to leave the Reebok Stadium on a free transfer when his contract expires next month.

Tierney is believed to have agreed a three-year deal with Bolton and will officially join Dougie Freedman's side on July 1.

The Everton boss was driven into United's Carrington training ground by kit man Albert Morgan as he began the process of familiarising himself with his new surroundings.

Sir Alex Ferguson was in the car as well, and drove Moyes away again after he had met those present in the aftermath of the staggering 5-5 draw with West Brom.

Moyes was apparently in cheery mood, and clearly relishing the task in front of him, knowing it was always unrealistic to think he could stick to his official July 1 start day.

That might be roughly when he speaks to the media for the first time.

However, he has pre-season to sort out, in addition to his backroom team, although it is not anticipated Moyes is going to make any major changes.

It is a tricky situation for the Scot though.

On one hand it would be natural for Moyes to insist on making his own mark, and having people he knows well around him, like his current head coach, former Leeds midfielder Jimmy Lumsden, who has been linked with a switch to United.

However the 50-year-old might be equally loath to unsettle a system that has proved to be so successful for so long and has just delivered another Premier League title by an impressive 11 points.

It is a conundrum Moyes needs to solve correctly because work done in the early days will shape his future at Old Trafford.

At least the players are behind him, with Carrick outlining how much they are looking forward to the transition.

"As players we are embracing the challenge," he said.

"For so long we have had the stability of knowing what to expect. We could turn up for pre-season and know how we would be preparing.

"There are going to be certain things that are new. But many will stay the same of course because there is a structure there and there is not a lot wrong.

"We are all looking forward to it. We are looking forward to the new manager coming in, working with him, improving as a squad and taking the club forward."

As a member of five title-winning squads, Carrick is one of those whose experience will be crucial to United's desire for more silverware, even if it is fanciful to expect they could win another 13 titles within a 21-year period as they have just done under Ferguson.

Yet Carrick reports the intense hunger so evident in his long-time manager is also his greatest legacy to the club.

"It is the mentality and desire and the enthusiasm never to give in," said Carrick.

"It has been there for so many years it is ingrained in the players now.

"Hopefully we will carry that on."

Carrick confirmed Ferguson has approached the fortnight since his retirement was confirmed in the same unemotional manner in private as he has in public.

"It has been business as usual," he said.

"He said a few thank yous after the game but generally it is as everyone has seen.

"He will have mixed emotions because it is a strange time for him, as it is for everyone at the club."

In the end, all that was missing from that epic final day trip to West Brom was an injury-time winner.

Even United's players were starting to think it was in the script as the hosts rallied from 5-2 down.

"We were just waiting for the last minute winner from Ryan or Scholesy," he said.

"It was one of those games.

"We are disappointed because we wanted to win the game and make it the last memory for the manager and Paul Scholes.

"But in the grand scheme of things it doesn't mean too much."

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