Middlesbrough have appointed former Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick to their managerial vacancy. The 41-year-old has no permanent experience as a head coach but he did lead United in a caretaker capacity for three games last season. Carrick oversaw two wins and a draw before handing the reins to interim manager Ralf Rangnick and choosing to leave the club, rather than resuming his old duties as first team coach under the German.
Carrick’s brief spell in the Old Trafford dugout earned him plenty of plaudits. Not only did he steady the ship after the collapse of the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer era, but he did so while improving results on the pitch. Three games is a small sample size but the points he took, coupled with positive reports from those he worked with, have made him a desirable managerial candidate. Middlesbrough now hope to win the race to hire the ex-West Ham United star.
READ MORE:
The road from Old Trafford engine room to the Riverside dugout has been traversed before. The great ‘Captain Marvel’, Bryan Robson, joined Boro from United in 1994, initially as player-manager. He found his new surroundings to be hospitable, being lavished with top signings like Juninho, Fabrizio Ravanelii and Nicky Barmby. Robson led Boro to both domestic cup finals before suffering relegation. But chairman Steve Gibson stuck by his man and the club returned to the top flight. Robson is well-remembered by those on Teesside after six largely successful years in the job.
In what is becoming a rarity in football, Gibson is still in situ at Boro. Managers don’t get six years to work at the Riverside any more. A year or two has been the sum of it since Aitor Karanka departed after a four-year spell in 2017. But that’s football nowadays and Gibson is not exactly dispatching managers at a rate that would make Watford blush. Middlesbrough is a club with plenty to recommend it.
While they have only spent one season in the Premier League since 2009, Boro are usually a top-half Championship side. While they currently sit 21st in the table, the notorious concertina of the Championship means they’re only eight points off the play-offs. This is a squad that could be galvanised by the right man. This is where Carrick comes in.
Picking a team up off the floor is one of the few elements of management that Carrick has extensive experience in. This was his remit when Manchester United were fresh off a series of Premier League wallopings. He turned that team of mismatched relics from previous managers with basement-low confidence into a surprisingly cohesive outfit. This was not an easy task, as Rangnick proved when embarking on the worst managerial stint in recent United history.
The fit appears right for Middlesbrough, but is it right for Carrick? The England international can take inspiration from close to home. His former colleague Kieran McKenna, who worked alongside him on the United staff, has taken over at Ipswich Town with excellent results. Taking Martyn Pert and Lee Grant with him from Carrington, McKenna has transformed the fortunes of the Tractor Boys. Ipswich sit second in League One and the feeling at Portman Road is one of overwhelming positivity.
As well as Carrick’s former coaching colleagues, ex-players he appeared alongside have found varying fortunes in management. Wayne Rooney did as good a job as anyone would have with the financially-mismanaged Derby County. If Carrick does accept the Boro job he won’t have to contend with anything like as much firefighting. Just like when he played, Carrick is unlikely to be afforded the same level of opportunities as Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard. Both are Premier League managers now after spells at Chelsea and Rangers respectively. Lampard for his part at least spent time at Derby but, even then, it was not the sort of tenure that would have ordinarily afforded someone a go at Stamford Bridge.
Thus Boro feels like the right fit for Carrick while he seems like the perfect candidate for them. A sympathetic owner who will give him time. A club one rung below the Premier League but with ambitions to get back there. A manager with form for turning round a team low on confidence. There’s an art to matching a first-time manager with a suitable club. Michael Carrick and Middlesbrough feels like a good match.
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject To Change
