Middlesbrough: Michael Carrick in advanced talks over head coach vacancy at Riverside Stadium
Carrick , 41, in advanced talks to take over as Middlesbrough head coach; Leo Percovich currently in interim charge at the Riverside Stadium after Chris Wilder was sacked on October 3; Boro sit 22nd in the Sky Bet Championship
Wednesday 19 October 2022 16:21, UK
Middlesbrough are in advanced talks with Michael Carrick over the vacant head coach position at the Riverside Stadium.
The 41-year-old - a five-time Premier League winner during a 12-year spell as a player at Manchester United - has been identified as the preferred candidate to replace the sacked Chris Wilder.
Carrick has held advanced discussions with the Boro hierarchy in the past 48 hours, with the Teesside club hoping to make an announcement in the coming days.
Wilder was dismissed on October 3 after five defeats in the first 11 league games of the season and a Carabao Cup first-round exit against Barnsley.
Leo Percovich had overseen first team affairs over the past two weeks, assisted by Craig Liddle, Mark Tinkler and Lee Cattermole, during which time Middlesbrough beat Birmingham, but then lost to Millwall and Blackburn.
If appointed, the job will be Carrick's first in a permanent management position. After retiring in 2018, he became part of the coaching staff at United, serving under Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer before departing Old Trafford upon Ralf Rangnick's arrival last December.
Carrick is understood to have been recommended by England boss Gareth Southgate, who has a strong relationship with Boro chairman Steve Gibson following his time there as a player and manager.
The club had already held discussions with a number of candidates interviewed for the vacancy last week, alongside Rob Edwards, Cattermole and others.
Scott Parker, who was sacked by Bournemouth earlier this season, and out-of-work Sean Dyche were also in Boro's thinking as they searched for the right successor to Wilder.
Carrick faces a tough start to life at the Riverside, should he take charge, with five of Middlesbrough's seven remaining fixtures before the World Cup taking place away from home.
'Carrick can bring a fresh outlook'
Sky Sports' David Prutton:
"Having distanced himself last week, the cynic in you is thinking: 'If it didn't sound like the right move straight off the bat, what's happened since then that's got him back up to speed? But Middlesbrough is a cracking place, given the history and prestige of the club.
"The chairman Steve Gibson loves the place, he's born and bred, and he has made himself very successful and at times the club has been very successful too. There's been a period of underperforming under several managers, but Michael would come in with a fresh outlook.
"Sometimes, it's looking at the same set of players with a fresh set out eyes. I know that Chris Wilder was frustrated with a lack of transfer activity, but there's still a very workable squad there that shouldn't be anywhere near where it is.
"Michael has learned his apprenticeship at the coalface as it was at Manchester United as an assistant and taking over for a little bit, and that should stand him in good stead."
