Michael Carrick took time out from his schedule as Manchester United head coach to visit a Manchester United Foundation community football project, funded by his own foundation, and present a deserving staff member with a Premier League award.

‘Carrick’s Street Reds’ is one of more than 20 community football sessions delivered across Greater Manchester by Manchester United Foundation, providing free football and alternative activities for 8-18 year olds as part of the Street Reds programme (powered by Premier League Kicks).

This session takes place at Old Trafford Sports Barn, barely a mile away from the home of Manchester United, and is funded by the Michael Carrick Foundation, with the Reds head coach a regular visitor to the site.

Michael paid a surprise visit to the site last week as part of the Premier League’s ‘More Than A Game’ initiative, which this year celebrates 20 years of the Premier League Kicks programme. Each club has named their own Community Captain, recognising an individual who has been positively impacted by the programme and continues to inspire others.

Michael presented the award to Mark Brent, a long-serving coach at Carrick’s Street Reds who began attending the session as a participant when he was only 8, recognising his incredible commitment to providing football opportunities for young people and being a role model in the Manchester community.

Michael Carrick said: “It’s brilliant for Mark. He’s been coming here for so long, so for him to get the award and for me to have the chance to present it to him, it was a really nice moment. You can tell it means a lot to him and he fully deserves it. “We set out to give as many young people as many opportunities as we can, Mark has taken that with both hands and he’s progressed unbelievably well. He’s so dedicated and gives so much effort, you can see what it means to him to be here.”

Mark, who received a Premier League Community Captain armband, pennant and trophy as part of his award, was overjoyed by this recognition.

Mark said: “It means the world to win the Premier League Community Captain award. Being here since I was eight and all the hard work I’ve put in, volunteering, coaching and the constant progression I’ve had, I think it shows that it is recognised.

“We all know how busy Michael is at the minute, so for him to take time out of his schedule to come down is incredible. He’s been so important for us here over the last eight years. It shows how much he values the work we’re doing and it shows how much this means to him.”

One of the youngsters attending the session, Kai, added: “Mark is an amazing coach. When I first arrived here, he’s the one who helped me settle in. He’s always nice and he just gets on with all the sessions. He’s someone you can trust to deliver and he’s a great guy.”

More Than A Game’ showcases the Premier League’s long-standing commitment to supporting the community activity of clubs at all levels of the game, as well as investing in other areas, including the non-league system, grassroots facilities and women’s and girls’ football.