![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/image_2022-10-25_064703722-696x392.png\" "\\"Michael")
Championship strugglers Middlesbrough have appointed former Manchester United and England midfielder Michael Carrick as head coach.<\/p>\n
The 41-year-old had been out of the game since leaving Old Trafford after a three-game stint as temporary boss after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer\u2019s dismissal.<\/p>\n
Boro had been without a permanent manager since Chris Wilder was sacked, with Leo Percovich in interim charge.<\/p>\n
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Carrick\u2019s first game will be at Preston in the Championship on Saturday.<\/p>\n
He had said it was not the right time for him to return to football but\u00a0had a change of heart\u00a0after a positive second round of talks.<\/p>\n
It is also a return to the north-east of England for Carrick, having been born in Newcastle.<\/p>\n \u201cMiddlesbrough was the first professional club I played for as a nine-year-old boy, so it\u2019s a very special feeling to be back here as a head coach,\u201d\u00a0he said.<\/p>\n \u201cGrowing up in the north-east myself I\u2019m fully aware of what football means to people. It\u2019s a real privilege for me to be in this position and to feel all the passion and enthusiasm you\u2019ve got for the game and for Boro.\u201d<\/p>\n He will be assisted by Jonathan Woodgate. The former Boro player returns to The Riverside having been the manager from June 2019 to June 2020.<\/p>\n The club has also confirmed that Percovich will now take up a role as the club\u2019s head of player pathway and development.<\/p>\n Carrick, who also played for West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur, made 463 appearances for United over a 12-year career, winning 17 trophies at Old Trafford before retiring in 2018.<\/p>\n He also won 34 England caps between 2001 and 2015, and was part of the squads at both the 2006 and 2010 World Cups.<\/p>\n After his retirement he became part of United\u2019s coaching staff, initially under Jose Mourinho for a short period until the Portuguese was sacked and then \u2013 more prominently \u2013 under Solskjaer for the near-three years in which the Norwegian was in charge.<\/p>\n When Solskjaer left, Carrick led United to wins over Villarreal in the Champions League and Arsenal in the Premier League \u2013 with a draw at Chelsea sandwiched in between \u2013 before stepping down.<\/p>\n Carrick arrives at Middlesbrough as their sixth permanent boss since the club was relegated from the Premier League in 2017 \u2013 a number which includes Woodgate.<\/p>\n He is the 13th appointment of Steve Gibson\u2019s tenure as chairman, and the Boro owner is thrilled at the prospect of working with Carrick.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had identified a number of potentials for the vacancy who we spoke with, and were impressed by all, but Michael was the outstanding candidate,\u201d Gibson told the\u00a0club\u2019s website.<\/p>\n \u201cMichael has the same values as the club, and we are very much aligned in our ambitions.<\/p>\n \u201cWe see Michael as the perfect fit for us and he believes this is the right club at the right time.\u201d<\/p>\n Boro finished seventh under Wilder last season, only missing out on a play-off spot on the final day, and expectations were of a promotion push this campaign.<\/p>\n That never materialised and the ex-Sheffield United boss was dismissed three weeks ago after just two wins from their first 11 games.<\/p>\n Percovich steadied the ship with seven points from five games but the club sit just one point and one place above the bottom three.<\/p>\n Now Carrick has five games before the break for the World Cup, starting at Deepdale on Saturday, to try to move Boro clear of the relegation zone.<\/p>\n BBC Radio Tees\u2019 Mark Drury<\/em><\/p>\n Michael Carrick\u2019s appointment today has not come as a huge surprise as his name had been heavily trailed last week.<\/p>\n Carrick arrives at Middlesbrough with the club just outside the Championship relegation zone during a season that has taken a rapid downward turn when so much was expected.<\/p>\n It is hoped his time on the Manchester United coaching staff under Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will have prepared him for life in the hot seat.<\/p>\n More of a surprise to Boro fans is the identity of his first team coach, former manager, Jonathan Woodgate.<\/p>\n Woodgate was Boro manager prior to Neil Warnock and Chris Wilder and has been a regular on the airwaves with BBC Radio 5 Live after a short spell at Bournemouth where he led the Cherries to the Championship play-off semi-final.<\/p>\n Boro say there will be a further addition to the coaching staff in due course with fans expecting a more seasoned head to provide the experience Carrick has yet to accrue.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"Michael](\"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/_127318263_gettyimages-1356031785.jpg\")
\u2018Michael is perfect fit\u2019<\/h3>\n
![\"Jonathan](\"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/_127318261_gettyimages-1184448490.jpg\")
Analysis \u2013 Woodgate return more surprising than Carrick appointment<\/h3>\n