Ferguson happy with Carrick price

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson believes it is worth paying a little bit extra to bring in a player with British and Irish roots.

Ferguson has splashed out an initial £14million, which could rise to £18.6million, to bring Tyneside-born Michael Carrick to Old Trafford from Tottenham, but the United boss is adamant it will prove to be money well spent.

"He is 25, an England international who has been to the World Cup. He will get better and have some good years with us," said Ferguson.

"There is always a premium on Manchester United buying a player. I have experienced that since I came here. But we have always settled on what I felt was a sensible level of transfer fee.

"If you can get the right quality of home-based players, they understand the club and understand the loyalty factor of the club. We have had less problems with them (than the foreign players) over the years.

"We probably overpaid for Roy Keane and Gary Pallister but we were proved right in time and hopefully that will happen again with Michael. With Michael we are paying the money for a maturing player."

Chief executive David Gill insists that Carrick is "a great player for a great price".

He said: "We have always had a nucleus of UK players. That was another attraction to us about Michael. Top talent in England is difficult to obtain. That is one factor.

"UEFA are also changing the rules as well where there has to a quota of homegrown talent in your squad, so that is why we were keen to sign Michael."