"He'll get a decent one" - Michael Carrick prediction issued after Middlesbrough summer exit | OneFootball

FLW Fan Pundit Liam believes Michael Carrick needed to take some time out of the game after his stint in charge of Middlesbrough.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Having endured another season of narrowly missing out on the top six and the play-off places, Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick departed the Riverside Stadium in June.

He has since been replaced by former Luton Town boss Rob Edwards, and ‘Boro have started the campaign exceptionally well, heading into the first international break of the season sitting at the top-of-the-table in the second-tier after four matches.

There has definitely been some slight tweaks to the way in which they are playing, but it is still a small sample size, and there is a long way to go for Edwards and the Smoggies.

What is a bit surprising is that Carrick, who had been in charge for around about two and a half seasons, didn’t find himself at another Championship club over the summer.

Michael Carrick needed time away from the game after Middlesbrough exit - next job prediction issued

Having started his managerial career with ‘Boro so well, reaching the 2022/23 play-off semi-finals, Carrick’s football then began to stagnate and led to two underwhelming finishes, just outside of the top six.

He has yet to find himself a new job, whether that be through choice or imposed upon him, but FLW Fan Pundit Liam Day believes that a spell away from the game was required for the former Manchester United midfielder.

FLW asked Liam if he is surprised that Carrick is yet to return to the dugout after his Boro dismissal back in June and whether a Premier League job which he had formerly been touted for — could still be on the cards, or if the 44-year-old will have to ply his trade in the Championship.

But, in Liam's view, time away from management was needed for Carrick, who he thinks will land a "decent" Championship job when he returns.

Liam says: “With the way it ended with us, I think he needed time out of the game to be honest with you.

“His inexperience was starting to show through. He was making the same subs, he had no ‘Plan B’ and it was getting really repetitive and really frustrating.

“We were either going to be the best team in the world or we were just going to let teams roll over us, and it was all too easy.

“I’d be very, very surprised if he landed a Premier League job. His style might be suited a bit more to the Premier League, but it would be a big risk for any other team to want him.

“I feel like he needs more time in the Championship, just to learn and he needs a ‘Plan B’. He needs his teams to be a bit more solid, he needs his team to fight together and that’s the big difference we’ve got this year.

“We’re a lot more solid and we fight, and we don’t just let teams roll over us and make silly mistakes like we did last season.

“I think probably he’ll get a Championship job, and he’ll probably get a decent one. I’d be very surprised he didn’t, but he just needs a bit more experience. He’s not ready for the Premier League at all.”

There is still an expectation that Michael Carrick will come good

As a player, Carrick is regularly, almost to the point of satire, regarded as underappreciated for his talents, especially in the English game.

A passing midfielder that could dictate and control games of football, the former Tottenham Hotspur man was perhaps ‘un-English’ in the way he played, and that went overlooked, despite the fact he was a fulcrum of such a dominant United side.

That level of intelligence on the pitch was always expected to follow into a managerial capacity, and his first half a season or so in charge of ‘Boro was an excellent one.

The mitigation against that would be the squad he had at his disposal with his attack consisting of the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Chuba Akpom and Cameron Archer.

Carrick certainly found a formula for those players, though, and Middlesbrough never regressed to being a bad team, but just one that certainly lacked something extra in recent seasons.

As Liam says, time away from the game to figure those things out and allow his experience to take a hold on him seems helpful for Carrick, and it would be no shock to see him return to the second-tier with a newfound freshness at some stage.