Middlesbrough FC: Michael Carrick relief after West Ham reveal won’t last forever | OneFootball

Middlesbrough supporters' relief over Michael Carrick developments could be short lived

Middlesbrough supporters will be breathing a sigh of relief at the development surrounding West Ham’s interest in Michael Carrick.

According to the Guardian, the London club have not shortlisted the 43-year-old at this stage, as speculation surrounding Julen Lopetegui reaches a fever pitch.

The Spaniard’s position is coming close to untenable at the Premier League side, and Carrick could have been an obvious name to replace him, with the likes of Tony Cascarino tipping him to take over at the London Stadium as recently as November.

The former midfielder has done excellent work at Boro, with the team now signing in the Championship and eyeing promotion to the top flight.

He also has a lot of history with the Hammers, having come through their academy system and spending five years as a part of the first team squad from 1999 to 2004.

But Portuguese manager Sérgio Conceição is reportedly the front-running candidate, should a change in the dugout be made.

Michael Carrick relief won’t last forever

This relief over the future of Carrick being secure for now won’t last long for Middlesbrough fans.

The Boro boss has the potential to compete in the Premier League as a coach, and it is surely a matter of time before he reaches the top flight in one way or another.

His first campaign in charge almost led to promotion, with the team rising to a play-off place before losing in the semi-finals to Coventry City.

While his second year was a bit underwhelming, there were difficult circumstances that had to be overcome, with multiple key players leaving like Chuba Akpom, Morgan Rogers, Aaron Ramsey and Cameron Archer, along with injury issues.

This season has seen a lot of that initial promise come back to the fold, with the team’s recent form really taking the division by storm.

Middlesbrough now look to be a credible promotion threat, which is surely going to attract attention on Carrick.

His side play an attractive brand of attacking football, and are scoring for fun at the moment, which only further increases the microscope on the manager.

His own reputation as a player will also naturally carry him that bit further, just look at how Vincent Kompany and Frank Lampard’s careers had an accelerated trajectory after stints in the Championship.

Even promotion might not keep Carrick at Middlesbrough

But even gaining promotion to the Premier League might not be enough to see Carrick hang around the Riverside long-term.

He is an ambitious coach, and will surely want to match his honours from his playing career by winning the biggest prizes.

Enzo Maresca’s promotion triumph with Leicester City last season led to him moving to Chelsea, highlighting just how in-demand successful Championship coaches are at the moment.

Kieran McKenna also attracted interest, which led to him signing a bumper new deal, but it is inevitable he will move on to bigger things at some stage, even if he did show some loyalty to the Suffolk outfit.

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