Middlesbrough head coach Michael Carrick has explained why he thinks he “needed” to depart Manchester United to progress his managerial career.
Carrick spent 12 years with Man Utd as a player between 2006 and 2018. He played 464 times during this spell and he won the Premier League title five times.
After retiring, the Englishman quickly turned to coaching and he was given a spot as part of Jose Mourinho’s staff at Man Utd.
The 41-year-old went onto work with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and he had a spell as caretaker manager before Ralf Rangnick’s ill-fated spell at United got going in December 2021.
Carrick took the admirable decision to immediately step down following Rangnick’s arrival. He did this with the view of becoming a full-time manager in his own right.
He has got his wish as last month he was appointed as Chris Wilder’s replacement at Championship side Middlesbrough.
The new Boro boss has got off to a positive start at the Riverside Stadium. In his first five games in charge, he has three wins, one draw and one defeat.
Carrick has now admitted that his exit from Man Utd was “needed”.
“I think it was needed, to be honest,” Carrick told TeessideLive.
“Manchester United was my life and had been for some time. I respect the club greatly and love the place. I have friends there and my son plays there still.
“So I won’t ever lose that affinity. I was at the away game two weeks ago with my son. That was a huge part of my life and that is football. You get attached to certain football clubs.”
He added: “When I’m in somewhere, I’m all in. But I got comfortable in that role at United and you’ve got to come out of that comfort zone sometimes to test yourself and make your own way. That’s why I’m here [at Middlesbrough].
“This is where I started all those years ago, so there is kind of a feeling of real belonging here – and I don’t say that as a throwaway line, that’s how it feels. I’ve felt really at home in these last few days.”
Carrick later suggested that he is “ready” for what is ahead of him at Middlesbrough.
“I think the biggest thing is that I felt comfortable in the role, ultimately,” Carrick explained. “Having that responsibility felt comfortable. Sometimes you don’t know how you’re going to feel but it just felt like a natural fit for me.
“Everyone was saying it must have been quite stressful but, actually, I always felt quite calm. So that was a real positive for me.
“I’m not…
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