Compared with the paranoia and pizza throwing that has tarnished Manchester United’s tussles with Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool, Sir Alex Ferguson and Everton manager David Moyes run a mutual admiration society. After a hard-fought victory that cemented United’s lead in the Premier League, item one on the agenda was the majestic form of Michael Carrick.

Next Saturday, Fabio Capello names England’s squad for the friendly with European champions Spain a week on Wednesday. When Carrick won his only cap under Capello, in November’s defeat of Germany, he owed his inclusion to the indisposition of others. Against a dogged Everton, as in the FA Cup win over Tottenham, he made the case for a role in Seville all but irresistible, regardless of whether Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard or Gareth Barry is available.

Carrick’s all-round performance – from panicking Mikael Arteta into conceding the spot-kick which Cristiano Ronaldo converted to halting Steven Pienaar with a tackle from the Bobby Moore manual – showed he is capable both of attacking from midfield and anchoring it. On a night when Edwin van der Sar created history, the 27-year-old Geordie created something less easily measured but equally impressive.

Ferguson lauded Carrick’s “penetrating runs”, an element in his repertoire often overshadowed by what his one-time West Ham manager Harry Redknapp termed his “quarterback-style” distribution. Moyes’ assessment, coming from the beaten manager, arguably carried greater validity. “Carrick was immense,” he said. “He was a real threat to us, and he also broke up a couple of attacks with important challenges.”