Michael Carrick had become an Old Trafford favourite after making made 464 appearances for the Reds becoming the only Englishman other than former teammate Wayne Rooney to have won the Premier League, FA Cup, Champions League, Community Shield Europa League and Club World Cup.
United fans took to him even more kindly after his short-lived spell as caretaker manager after the dismissal of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in November 2021. In this time, he was on the touchline for three games winning two and drawing the other - a cameo that clearly signalled a managerial career was in his sights.
Having taken his time over his first move into the hot-seat, he was appointed as the new manager of then-struggling Championship club Middlesbrough last month, after they'd sacked Chris Wilder. This dismissal was arguably surprising because despite the fact Boro found themselves in the bottom three at this point, Wilder is still a massive asset for any second-tier club to have following his recent success with Sheffield United who he guided to promotion, and then subsequently a top half Premier League finish.
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However, since Carrick took the reins, Middlesbrough have seen undeniable improvement. Four consecutive wins placed them 14th in the table, four points behind the play-off places but also just four points above the relegation zone. This makes Middlesbrough a great case study as to just how compact the Championship table really is.
Carrick has certainly had an impact on his new Boro squad, as under Chris Wilder the side did not go on an unbeaten run as long as the one they are currently enjoying under the guidance of the new man. However, prior to the appointment of Carrick, a managerless Boro with caretaker Leo Percovich at the reins managed to defeat Wigan Athletic 4-1 away from home.
They then retained a clean sheet in a draw with Huddersfield, so the side had already picked up prior to Carrick’s appointment. Therefore you could argue that Middlesbrough have been experiencing a new manager bounce which potentially isn’t just down to Michael Carrick. In addition to this, Boro actually lost their first game with Carrick in charge when they were defeated 2-1 at Deepdale by Preston North End.
Under Chris Wilder, Middlesbrough were losing fixtures by fine margins whereas with Carrick at the helm they are now winning games in a similarly tight fashion. Based on past achievements, it would be difficult to argue that Carrick is a savvier Championship manager than Wilder but the feeling around Middlesbrough has significantly changed since Carrick was appointed.
Perhaps the former England international has been the breath of fresh air a previously stagnant team required. Middlesbrough were also worthy winners at Carrow Road on the weekend against early promotion favourites Norwich.
The Championship is an extremely tough league to find consistency in, and heading into the mid-season break which comes as a byproduct of the Qatar World Cup, Carrick has managed to find some consistency at Boro. He deserves a large amount of credit for that and once he is able to sign his own players in the January transfer window, the time will come for Carrick to show if he can become an established and well-respected Championship manager.
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