One Middlesbrough player needs to thank Michael Carrick for turning his career around.
Michael Carrick arrived at the Riverside Stadium in October 2022, taking over Middlesbrough from Chris Wilder who had nearly taken them into a relegation battle.
Carrick enjoyed a prolific debut campaign at the Riverside. He guided Boro to fourth place in the Championship table – their highest finish since their relegation from the Premier League in 2016/17.
The following campaign did not go as well and 2024/25 has got off to a somewhat slow start.
However, ahead of Middlesbrough facing Stoke City, it is clear one Red has seen his career transformed under Carrick.
The ex-Manchester United midfielder has created some big stars in the North East over the last few years.
Chuba Akpom left Middlesbrough for Ajax after scoring 29 goals in 2022/23 – his highest goal return in a single season throughout his entire career.
Ryan Giles was a great success for Middlesbrough as well, with the left-back also experiencing his best-ever season in terms of goal contributions when playing under the Boro boss.
Michael Carrick has turned Matt Clarke career around at Middlesbrough
In Boro’s current first-team squad, however, no player has improved more than Matt Clarke.
Signed from Brighton and Hove Albion in 2022, the centre-back, who is earning £13-a-week at Middlesbrough, was expected to be nothing more than a fringe player.
His debut campaign at the Riverside was marred by injury issues, with his game time severely limited as a result.
However, following an issue picked up by Dael Fry, Clarke was given a chance in the starting line-up by Carrick in the second half of 2023/24 and has not looked back.
Earlier this month, Clarke was the third-highest-rated player in the Championship after scoring his second league goal of the season to become Boro’s joint-top scorer.
Elsewhere, one EFL pundit dubbed Clarke the most underrated defender in the Championship – a claim that is hard to argue with given how well he has played this season.
The 28-year-old was floundering at the Amex and though he had a rocky start to life at Middlesbrough, the stopper is now one of the club’s best players and he must thank Carrick for that success.
Who will be the next Michael Carrick success story at Middlesbrough
While results have not gone their way this term, Carrick’s ability as a manager should not be questioned yet.
The 43-year-old has already turned the likes of Akpom and Clarke into top-class players and there are a couple more Middlesbrough gems who he could still help improve.
Carrick gave a positive verdict on Tommy Conway recently and now the striker has been given the Akpom role in Boro’s team, he has the opportunity to enjoy the same success the now Ajax man has had.
The likes of Aidan Morris, Delano Burgzorg and Micah Hamilton have all showed promise since their summer switches as well.