Michael Carrick has transformed Middlesbrough since his arrival but one key decision could come back to bite him.
Michael Carrick arrived at Boro in October of 2022 with very little experience in management behind him.
However, the former Manchester United star has been a revelation since moving to the Riverside Stadium.
Middlesbrough were struggling to find any real identity or long-term plan in the years following their most recent relegation in 2017.
However, along with Head of Football Kieran Scott, Carrick has completely transformed the culture on Teesside.
Boro reached the play-off semi-finals during the ex-midfielder’s first campaign at the club, while they only just missed out on a top-six finish in 2023/24.
The current campaign is also expected to prove fruitful, with Middlesbrough predicted to win promotion from the Championship.
For all the positives Carrick has brought with him to Boro though, one key decision the manager made may now come back to bite him this season.
Former Middlesbrough star competing with Erling Haaland
Erling Haaland is once again having a superb season at Manchester City, already bagging two hat-tricks in the opening three fixtures of the Premier League campaign.
The Norweigan has found the net a total of seven times in 2024/25 and nobody comes close to matching his goalscoring tally.
However, one former Middlesbrough player is looking to compete with Haaland on the goals front this term.
Middlesbrough loaned Josh Coburn to Millwall on Deadline Day, where he has gone on to link back up with Duncan Watmore.
Watmore left Boro in 2023 and is currently in the midst of a sensational campaign that is seeing him compete with Haaland.
As per Opta, Millwall have recorded the second-highest xG total amongst all sides in England’s top tiers (8.07) – behind only Middlesbrough (8.12).
The Lions’ xG total has been aided heavily by Watmore, who has scored four goals in four league matches – a figure only bettered by Manchester City’s Haaland (7).
Michael Carrick may regret Duncan Watmore sale as Middlesbrough struggle
The now 30-year-old left Middlesbrough for Millwall in January 2023 for an undisclosed fee.
At the time, the Reds had Chuba Akpom leading the line for them, while loanee Cameron Archer chipped in with 10 goals in the second half of 2022/23.
This season, meanwhile, has seen Carrick’s men struggling to convert all of their chances.
Centre-forwards Emmanuel Latte Lath and Tommy Conway are yet to score from open play in 2024/25, with the club’s top scorer currently centre-back, Matt Clarke.
Had Carrick not sold Watmore last year, it may be fair to assume that he would have put away several of the chances Boro have created this season and they would have picked up better results against Derby County and Portsmouth.