Manager

Middlesbrough appointed Michael Carrick as the latest manager of the Championship side in October 2022 to replace Chris Wilder. He arrived at the Riverside Stadium with an initial contract to June 2025.

Steve Gibson, Middlesbrough’s owner, gave Carrick his first full-time job in management with the club struggling heavily. The Championship side sacked Wilder after only winning two of their 11 league games at the start of the 2022/23 season. It left Middlesbrough in the bottom three.

Yet, Carrick would not only take Middlesbrough away from a possible relegation fight but back into the playoffs. The former English international ended his debut season in charge of the club by losing to Coventry in the playoff semi-finals.

Middlesbrough manager Michael Carrick’s past coaching career

When Middlesbrough appointed Carrick in October 2022, it was the former England international’s first full-time job in management.

The midfielder enjoyed a 15-year playing career, with 12 of these years coming at Manchester United. After his retirement in 2018, Carrick remained at the Red Devils and joined Jose Mourinho’s coaching staff.

Upon the Portuguese manager’s sacking in 2018 and the appointment of Ole Gunnar Solskjær, the Norwegian decided to keep Carrick at the club. After an initial positive start to his reign which saw United finish second in the Premier League and runners-up in the Europa League, Solskjær was sacked in 2021.

With the club without a manager, Carrick was named as the caretaker manager. Starting on November 21 and ending on December 2, Carrick was in charge for three games at Man United. In this spell, he was highly impressive.

His first game was an away match to Villarreal in the Champions League which he won 2-0 to seal a place in the knockout stages. A 1-1 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge followed before he oversaw a 3-2 victory over Arsenal at Old Trafford to sign off his short reign.

Upon Ralf Rangnick’s appointment, Carrick stepped down from United’s coaching staff and eventually joined Middlesbrough just under a year later.

Michael Carrick’s coaching career

• Head coach, Middlesbrough, (October 2022 – June 2025 expected)
• Caretaker manager, Manchester United (November 2021 – December 2021)
• Coaching staff, Manchester United (July 2018 – December 2021)

Michael Carrick’s playing career

Carrick had a highly impressive playing career which saw him win 20 trophies throughout his 15-year career. During this time he played for West Ham, Spurs and Manchester United as well as had spells at Swindon and Birmingham in his early playing days.

Carrick came through West Ham’s academy and showed signs that he was going to be a star early on. The midfielder was part of the side that won the FA Youth Cup in the 1998/99 season, the first of many trophies in his career. He then made his first-team debut at the start of the next season in the Intertoto Cup.

After this, the youngster was sent out on loan spells to Swindon and Birmingham across the 1999/2000 season. He made a combined eight appearances for both clubs, scoring 2 goals. Upon returning to the club, he was voted as West Ham’s Young Player of the Season.

Over the four seasons, Carrick established himself as a regular first-team member. However, despite his good performances on the pitch, he could not prevent the Hammer’s relegation to the First Division in the 2002/03 season. The midfielder stayed to try and regain their Premier League season. However, a playoff final defeat to Crystal Palace denied an immediate return.

Becoming a Premier League elite

Carrick returned to the Premier League at the start of the 2004/05 season. Spurs won the race for the midfielder, spending £3.5 million. The midfielder would continue to impress and two seasons later, he earned a move to Manchester United for £18.6 million.

Under the guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson, Carrick was able to unlock his potential. In his first season at the club, he won a Premier League title. The following campaign saw another league title, this time topped with a Champions League victory. Carrick started in the final against Chelsea and scored in the shootout as United won on penalties after a 1-1 draw.

The following seasons under Ferguson saw Carrick lift another three Premier League titles as well as two League Cups. In the Scotsman’s final season before retirement, Carrick arguably had his best campaign in a United shirt. The midfielder went on to win Manchester United’s Player’s Player of the Year and earn a spot in the Premier League PFA Team of the Year.

After Ferguson’s retirement, trophies were harder to come by. David Moyes only managed to win the Community Shield while Louis van Gaal lifted the FA Cup in the 2015/16 season.

Upon the appointment of Jose Mourinho, cup victories returned as United completed another treble – the Community Shield, League Cup and Europa League. Wayne Rooney’s departure saw Carrick elected as captain for the 2017/18 season. However, this season would be his last and he retired after 464 appearances for the club.

Michael Carrick’s England career

Despite a decorated career, Carrick’s international career never took off. Part of England’s ‘golden generation’, Carrick made in debut in 2001, as a substitute against Mexico. However, his full debut wouldn’t happen until four years later against the United States.

Despite his clear ability, Carrick was often overlooked with Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard often getting the nod in the starting XI ahead of him. This was mainly seen under Fabio Capello, with the Italian rarely using the midfielder. In the 2010 World Cup, Carrick didn’t play a minute despite being selected in the 23-man squad.

Things did not get much better under Roy Hodgson, the midfielder was not selected at all for the 2012 Euros and wasn’t even on the standby list. For the 2014 World Cup, Carrick again was not selected and instead made the standby list.

Carrick made his final appearance for England in 2015, being forced off against Spain with an ankle injury. In total, he collected 34 caps for England.

Michael Carrick at Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough named Carrick as their manager on October 24, 2022. He took over with Boro sitting 21st in the Championship, one point above the relegation zone, after a terrible start to the 2022/23 campaign. Despite his first game ending in a 2-1 defeat to Preston, Carrick won 16 of his first 23 games in the dugout.

This form eventually saw the club rise up the table and finish fourth by the end of the campaign. However, a defeat to Coventry in the playoffs meant that the club would spend another year in the second tier.

At the start of the 2023/24 season, Middlesbrough had another rough start and failed to win any of their first seven games. However, form soon picked up again as they chased the playoffs. Carrick also guided Boro to the Carabao Cup semi-finals for the first time since 2004. They were eventually beaten by Chelsea 6-2 on aggregate despite winning the first leg 1-0 at the Riverside Stadium.