Roy Carroll will today, Thursday, enter the
Theatre of Dreams, Old Trafford where he
will undergo a medical after which he hopes
to sign a contract with the biggest club in the
world. 23 year old Carroll, from Tamlaght
outside Enniskillen has been linked with
Manchester United for much of the summer
as well as Leicester City and Everton where
proposed moves broke down at the last
minute.Roy was at home at the weekend before travelling back to England on
Tuesday and with the deals to Everton and Leicester breaking down late on,
he was understandably not commenting on the situation but did confirm that
he was going for a medical sometime this week which he hoped to pass and
to sign next week.
The timing of the move is also fitting in that it was at the Milk Cup in 1993 that
Carroll first caught the eye of the Northern Ireland U16 team whom he went on
to represent, a trend he has continued, representing Northern Ireland at U21
level before gaining nine full International caps at senior level.
Carroll who played with Fivemiletown, Ballinamallard United and Hull City
before moving to Wigan has been one of the most sought after keepers
outside of the Premiership for a number of years and his agent, Francis
Martin, spoke to the Impartial on Tuesday regarding the £2.5m move. The two
clubs have agreed a fee and Roy is doing the medical on Thursday and if
everything goes according to plan he should sign on Friday or early next
week. Roy has also agreed personal terms but obviously with the other deals
falling through at the last minute we will wait and see.
Francis added, this is a great move for Roy and he fully deserves it. He has
been one of the best keepers outside the Premiership for several years now
and he can only improve by working and training with the likes of Fabian
Barthez. Roy knows that he will have to compete with Raimond Van Der Gouw
for the number two jersey and will have to prove himself.
Francis also said that Roy was a little unsure of how being number two would
affect his International chances with Northern Ireland but has been reassured
by Sammy McIlroy, an ex Manchester United player, that training and playing
with the best can only be good for his International career. Indeed, Van Der
Gouw played 18 times for the Manchester United first team last season so
Roy, while given no guarantees should see plenty of action as Ferguson is
certain to rotate his squad.
As such then, if all goes well, Roy Carroll will pass his medical today and
become a Manchester United player in the near future where he will be
number two to arguably the greatest keeper in the world at present, Fabian
Barthez, at arguably the greatest club in the world, Manchester United. His
daily routine will involve training with Beckham, Giggs, Veron, Keane and
Scholes under the watchful eye of Alex Ferguson. The stuff of dreams to be
sure and the move of a lifetime, we can only hope it all goes well for the young
lad from Tamlaght.
Roy Carroll will today, Thursday, enter the
Theatre of Dreams, Old Trafford where he
will undergo a medical after which he hopes
to sign a contract with the biggest club in the
world. 23 year old Carroll, from Tamlaght
outside Enniskillen has been linked with
Manchester United for much of the summer
as well as Leicester City and Everton where
proposed moves broke down at the last
minute.