Major update emerges on Michael Carrick's Middlesbrough FC future | OneFootball

Boro's manager will reportedly be backed to turn the club's poor form around.

Michael Carrick will be backed by Middlesbrough to turn around their torrid run of form despite speculation around his future.

That is according to Teesside Live, who understand that Carrick will remain in charge at the Riverside Stadium, with club bosses keen to give their head coach time.

Steve Cooper has been linked with the club amid their poor run of form, as per TBR Football, but latest developments suggest Carrick will be given time.

Carrick to be given time to turn around Middlesbrough's form

Boro slumped to 11th in the Championship table after their 1-0 defeat to Watford at the Riverside, which was their fourth consecutive league defeat.

Carrick's side had occupied a play-off position for much of the campaign, but their dip in form means that they have fallen behind the likes of West Bromwich Albion and Coventry City.

Despite the poor run of results, Steve Gibson is believed to be a huge backer of Boro's head coach, and he believes Carrick has what it takes to guide the club back into the top six.

The former Manchester United man was handed a fresh three-year contract before the start of the season and has been backed by Gibson in the transfer market.

Although Boro lost top goalscorer Emmanuel Latte Lath in the winter window, they brought in a wealth of attacking players, including Kelechi iheanacho, Samuel Iling-Junior, and Morgan Whittaker.

Anything other than the play-offs would be a failure for Boro

While reports suggest that Carrick will be backed by Middlesbrough, if the club were to fail to reach the play-offs, then this season must be considered a failure.

Since the 43-year-old took over as Boro manager in October 2022, he guided the club to a fourth-place finish in his first campaign, while they finished eighth last season.

Given the strength of Middlesbrough's attack, a play-off finish must be the minimum target as the club look to build on the respectable finish last season.

Boro are the third-highest scoring side in the division but have conceded as many goals as 21st placed Hull City, which suggests they have a fragile back line.

However, on their day they have shown they can contend with the league's best, having secured a 1-0 win over league leaders Sheffield United in October.

Time will tell if Boro's recent form is just a blip, with the club set to embark on a more favourable run of fixtures, which includes clashes with Derby County and Swansea City.

However, with a manager of Cooper's ilk lurking in the background, Carrick will be under pressure to turn around Middlesbrough's fortunes sooner rather than later.