By Chris O'Brien
May 28 2005

After a trophyless season, Manchester United have begun chopping and changing the squad ahead of the 2005/2006 season. Goalkeeping duo Roy Carroll and Ricardo have both been released on free transfers, with a new goalkeeper now almost certain to join Tim Howard in the forseeable future.

It would seem Roy Carroll's helpless dive against Patrick Viera's F.A Cup winning penalty-kick will be the Ulsterman's final contribution to Manchester United Football Club. It has been confirmed that the shot-stopper, who has tussled for the goalkeeping jersey with Tim Howard throughout the campaign, will be released on a free transfer after no resolution could be found to an ongoing contract squabble.

Carroll has put in some good performances this season, but a lack of consistency and some costly blunders have meant he has never fully established himself as first choice 'keeper. He has been offered numerous contract offers, but was only willing to sign if he was guaranteed first-team football and with competition from US international Tim Howard and the club thought to be after a new 'keeper over the summer, the chances of this were always slim.

Carroll started his career with Hull City as a trainee, and soon drew the attention of many Football League clubs and was signed by an ambitious Wigan Athletic in 1997 for £350,000. He spent over four years with the Latics before catching the eye of Sir Alex Ferguson, who eventually paid £2.5million for Enniskillen-born Carroll to make the trip across Lancashire.

The 27-year-old has spent some happy times at United, and was always a highly-reliable second choice 'keeper who was always dependable when called upon. A challenge for the jersey permanently was mounted but proved just a little too much for Carroll, and with the prime of his career approaching he understandably wants to play football on a regular basis. Being a first-choice would also aid his international prospects, with Maik Taylor currently Northern Ireland's preferred goalkeeper.

His final appearance as a Red Devil came in Cardiff, playing the full 120 minutes against Arsenal. A clean sheet was secured, but Arsenal tucked away all five of their penalties with ease to secure an undeserved Cup crown. Who knows what Carroll's future would be if he had just stopped one Gunners spot-kick?

A number of top clubs are thought to be interested in swooping for Carroll, with many clubs monitoring his progress closely with rumours suggesting he would depart United at the end of the season. As a Rangers fan, a move to Ibrox would be likely to excite the Northern Irish international, whilst Everton and former club Wigan Athletic have both been linked with the shot stopper in recent weeks.

Slightly less sorrow will be shown to the departure of Ricardo, whose signing was baffling in the very first place for many supporters. Eyebrows were raised when Ferguson paid Valladolid £1.5million for the Spanish international but showed little intention of giving the veteran a real opportunity of making it in the United first-team, with opportunities extremely limited since moving to Old Trafford in August 2002.

Ricardo has made only 5 appearances in all competitions, and only one substitute appearance in the Football League in three years. Despite numerous pleas to the United boss, Ricardo has only made the bench a handful of times this season and registered no appearances. What a waste of money his transfer fee and wages proved to be, and fans never got to see what the 33-year-old had to offer. He was sent out on loan to Racing Santander for a season, but despite taking numerous awards when out on a temporary basis, the United chance never came.

This leaves United with only Tim Howard as a goalkeeping option at the club, with the Yank signing a new contract extension recently. New names now look almost certain to arrive, with Shay Given the latest player linked with the vacant number one jersey. However, Howard himself will be hoping that he can make regular appearances for United next season, despite some of the world's top shot stoppers linked with a move to the Red Devils.

Good luck to both players with their futures from ManUtdWeb, with a return to Old Trafford in opposing colours likely for Mr Carroll.