Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick has been linked alongside former playing club West Ham in recent weeks.
It comes after the 41-year-old’s impressive start to life in management. He’s taken Middlesbrough from the lower ends of the Championship table up into 3rd, with many backing them to overtake a stuttering Sheffield United side in 2nd before the end of the campaign.
Middlesbrough’s fine form has led to speculation that West Ham fancy Carrick as their next boss, with current boss David Moyes failing to drag the Hammers away from the drop zone. And an emerging report from Mirror has confirmed that West Ham have ‘earmarked’ Carrick as a ‘potential successor’ to Moyes, but suggests that a summer move is more likely.
With Boro eyeing up promotion to the Premier League, Mirror say it’s unlikely that West Ham could tempt Carrick into taking over should they sack Moyes before the end of the campaign. But Mirror’s report goes on to say that a potential summer move ‘could be a different proposition and an offer that the ambitious Carrick would find hard to resist’.
The summer ahead…
For Boro, Carrick’s future could depend on whether or not they earn promotion this season. As things stand – with Sheffield United dropping points and Middlesbrough in form – Boro could yet earn automatic promotion, with a top-six finish looking like the least they’ll achieve this season.
So there’s hope yet, but the West Ham job is a massive one and for Carrick, it may well prove too enticing to turn down. But he’s still cutting his teeth in management. He has a lot left to learn and a step up to West Ham ahead of next season could come too soon, so it remains to be seen what comes of Carrick and these ongoing links to West Ham.
Middlesbrough return to action v Stoke City in midweek.
