Louis van Gaal selects Michael Carrick as Manchester United's new vice-captain

Michael Carrick's impressive season was rewarded Saturday, as manager Louis van Gaal announced he's made the midfielder-turned-defender Manchester United's new vice-captain.

Darren Fletcher was selected as United's second-in-command at the beginning of the campaign. But with Fletcher far down the club's pecking order, having played a grand total of only 49 minutes this season, Van Gaal clearly felt the need for a change.

"I have three captains," Van Gaal said, according to the BBC. "You have a sequence: Wayne Rooney is one, Carrick is two, Fletcher three."

Carrick, normally a defensive midfielder, has seen himself deployed in United's backline on numerous occasions this season as a result of injuries to the club's defenders. The move appears to be paying dividends, though, as United have won each of the seven matches in which Carrick has appeared.