How Steve Cooper feels about replacing Michael Carrick at Middlesbrough | OneFootball

Ex-Leicester boss Cooper is likely going to be one of the leading fancies by Boro fans to replace Carrick in the Riverside Stadium dugout

Middlesbrough's search for a new manager to replace Michael Carrick is likely not going to extend out to Steve Cooper, with reports suggesting he's not interested in the vacancy on Teesside.

The Boro hierarchy decided to cut ties with Carrick on Wednesday a whole month after the 2024-25 Championship season ended, with the ex-Man United and England midfielder only being able to lead the club four points short of the play-off spots.

After a lengthy club review, Middlesbrough have now parted ways with Carrick, and now the search is on for his successor for what will be an incredibly attractive job.

Steve Cooper not interested in Middlesbrough manager vacancy

Not everyone will be enamoured by the prospect of trying to take Boro back to the Premier League though after eight years away, and that includes Steve Cooper.

According to talkSPORT's Alex Crook, he has been informed by fellow reporter Jim White that Cooper would not be interested in the Middlesbrough vacancy should it come his way, despite the fact that many would expect him to be a front-runner for such a job.

The 45-year-old has been out of work since November 2024, having been sacked by Leicester City after just five months in charge of the Foxes - that was despite the Welshman having the East Midlands outfit 16th in the Premier League table; they would of course go on to be relegated from the top flight under the management of Ruud van Nistelrooy after just one season.

And despite the Boro job being one that many will be keen on, it seems that Cooper may have his sights set higher than the Championship.

Steve Cooper's Middlesbrough snub makes manager vacancy an exciting one

Whilst there's no denying that Cooper would have been very much a top choice for Middlesbrough, given his proven record as a manager and his promotion from the division with Nottingham Forest, it now does make things a bit more exciting when it comes to who the club will actually pursue.

Middlesbrough have showed in recent years that they will go for different types of manager - the more experienced names of Chris Wilder and Neil Warnock were prior to a managerial newcomer in the form of Michael Carrick, so they've already showed that they can go down multiple avenues.

The likes of Danny Rohl may also come into consideration despite his high compensation release clause, although past reports have claimed that it reduces to just £2 million for Championship clubs - that could be seen as a potential bargain to some.

Whatever happens in the coming days and weeks, Boro need to get this appointment right, as they've got a relatively strong squad compared to most in the division, and the play-offs at the very least will be on the agenda for next season.