Michael Carrick sends Middlesbrough play-off final message and addresses Spygate saga | OneFootball

Manchester United's head coach has been speaking about his former club.

With Manchester United set to play their final game of the season on Sunday, Michael Carrick has the perfect excuse to watch his former club, Middlesbrough, on Saturday afternoon.

The Red Devils are marooned in third position and have already qualified for the Champions League, so Carrick's side can essentially play with the pressure off away at Brighton.

As for Boro, they are set for the game of their lives the day before as they prepare to face Hull City in the play-off final, dubbed the most lucrative game in football.

It has been a chaotic couple of weeks for all involved on Teesside, and now United's permanent head coach has delivered a message to his former employer, as well as having his say on the Spygate drama that has gripped football.

Michael Carrick has his say on Middlesbrough and Spygate

Middlesbrough took the bold decision to sack Carrick last summer after two and a half years in charge of the club, having missed out on the play-offs in his last two seasons.

Not many would have predicted he would have gone on to take charge of one of the biggest clubs in the world after that, but this is football, and quite frankly, nothing is surprising.

The 44-year-old has been speaking ahead of Saturday's play-off final and is clearly still full of admiration for his former employer despite being let go last June.

"I've got a lot of friends there and I'd love to see, especially the players and seeing them do well," he told the Northern Echo.

"They gave everything for me when I was there, the ones that were there, so to see them have success and end up in the Premier League, I take a lot pride in that."

Boro have not had long to prepare for their venture to Wembley Stadium as they were initially eliminated by Southampton in the semi-finals before being reinstated following the Saints' expulsion from the competition.

However, rather predictably, Carrick would not be drawn into giving too much away regarding his feelings about the whole situation.

"I'm not close enough to it to understand all the details to be honest with you," he continued.

"So, the only thing I can say, I mean it's unfortunate for a lot of people. The whole situation is a little bit unfortunate."

Carrick put in the groundwork for Boro's success

In Carrick's first campaign at the Riverside, he guided the club to a fourth-placed finish in the Championship, their best final standing in seven years.

Not only that, but the former England international implemented an attractive style of play with fluid movement and gave them an identity they had been sorely missing.

Understandably, he was considered one of the country's brightest coaching prospects and, given where he is now, his eventual sacking clearly did not hamper his reputation one bit.

After a stellar first season, there was a gradual decline, with the Teesside outfit missing out on the top six for two successive campaigns, essentially sealing his fate, although there was little hatred towards him from supporters.

Boro have since thrived, making a superb start to the season under Rob Edwards, who quickly departed to Wolves before Kim Hellberg did a decent job of holding fort and guiding the club to the play-offs, although there is a twinge of disappointment that the club did not make the top two.

Still, Middlesbrough have an incredible opportunity to return to the Premier League for the first time in a decade, and Carrick will be willing them on from wherever he is watching.