Michael Carrick has already managed three games as Manchester United caretaker in 2021 but now he is back at the wheel with more experience after three years at Middlesbrough in the Championship.
Here, Daily Mail Sport gives you a cheat sheet of everything you need to know about his tenure at Boro – and whether that leaves him ready for the top job at Old Trafford….
What happened at Boro?
Boro were the nearly men during Carrick’s tenure, especially in his first two seasons. After transforming them from relegation-fighters to promotion-chasers, they fell just short in the play-offs in 2022-23.
That summer saw a mass exodus of key men like 28-goal top scorer Chuba Akpom plus loanees Cameron Archer, Aaron Ramsey, Ryan Giles and Zack Steffen all returning to their parent clubs.
The subsequent campaign saw them miss out on the play-offs but make the Carabao Cup semi-final. His final term saw them finish a below-par 10th. Fast-forward to now, Boro are second under new boss Kim Hellberg.
Boro were the nearly men during Carrick’s tenure, especially in his first two seasons
The incoming Man United interim manager led the north-eastern club from a possible relegation to a fight for promotion in his first campaign
Of ever-present Championship teams, Carrick’s side were joint-top for points per game during his tenure, top for goals per game, xG per game and shots taken. But the fact these stats do not include teams that were promoted just highlight their status as nearly men.
What do their fans think?
This was a question posed on the social media site Reddit and the top reply, from a user called TheOldTC, reads: ‘Good first season, probably should’ve been promoted, somewhat underachieved the second and the wheels came off in the third.
‘That was tedious football, unresponsive tactics, late substitutions and an unusually closed-off manner in interviews. In fairness to him he was hampered by us consistently selling some key players out from under him mid-season.’
Local journalist Dominic Shaw, of the Northern Echo, tells Daily Mail Sport: ‘The general feeling on Teesside will be an element of surprise that Carrick has got this sort of job having ultimately failed to take Boro up. But supporters will wish him well.’
What about his style?
Carrick is clearly the sort of boss who improves players. Just look at Morgan Rogers, who signed for £1million and was sold just six months later to Aston Villa. If a club came in for the now-England international this summer, there might be a couple more zeroes on his price tag.
Look also at Chuba Akpom, on the fringes under former boss Chris Wilder but soon was voted as the Championship player of the season (scoring 28 goals in the process) and sold to Ajax for around £12m.
‘I wanted to quit football,’ he told Daily Mail Sport in an exclusive interview back then. ‘He would say he’s had nothing to do with my form but I want to tell people he has been key. I can’t praise him enough for what he’s done for my career… I’m so grateful.’
One of Carrick’s biggest strengths during his time in charge of Boro was his ability to improve players. Morgan Rogers, who was signed for £1million, was sold to Aston Villa for closer to £15m
Look also at Chuba Akpom, on the fringes under former boss Chris Wilder but soon was voted as the Championship player of the season
Emmanuel Latte Lath joined for £4m and left for more than £20m.
What flaws are there?
Some have criticised Boro for being too soft-centred last season and how game management let them down.
‘Again and again they found a way to throw away points from positions of dominance in a game,’ says Shaw. ‘Boro were too ponderous and predictable in attack. Those issues plagued them all season and Carrick was unable to find a fix.’
During his tenure they conceded 1.25 goals a game so some would say he can improve his side defensively. Losing coach Aaron Danks from his staff was a big blow, the former Villa coach left to join Vincent Kompany at Bayern Munich.
Will he deal with the media circus?
Shaw tells us: ‘There’ll be no explosive repeats of Ruben Amorim’s tasty press conferences. At Boro, Carrick was always reluctant to give much away when he spoke to the media.
‘That, though, was obviously with a much smaller audience of reporters than he’ll have to get used to at United, where there will obviously be much closer scrutiny.
‘His press conferences were always best when he felt he had to fight someone’s corner. If a player was being criticised, for example, he was quick to jump to their defence.’
Good job players are criticised most weeks at Old Trafford!
