Middlesborough have sacked their manager Michael Carrick following their 10th place in the Championship this season. Carrick, formerly of Manchester United, has been under pressure from fans for months.
A Michael Carrick Collapse
When Michael Carrick took over the Middlesborough post in the 2022/23 season, it was essential that he made progress. This was done successfully guiding Boro to a 4th place finish. However, the North-East side would go onto to lose in the semi-finals of the play-offs.
Since then, 2 seasons have passed and Middlesborough haven’t been able to reach the heights of that 4th place finish even with a very strong squad. This has led fans to voice their anger against Carrick calling for his sacking.
However, the decision to sack the former Manchester United boss comes after the season’s conclusion when there is no possibility of changing your position. Arguably, if Michael Carrick was sacked earlier, a new manager may have been able to guide the squad to a higher finish.
Gary O’Neil
The first name on our list to replace Michael Carrick is Gary O’Neil. With previous Premier League experience and being a highly rated young manager, O’Neil spent several years with Middlesborough before going into jobs with Bournemouth and Wolves.
With the manager arguably unlucky to be sacked at Bournemouth and losing his way at Wolves, the Middlesborough job could be the place where he is able to find his way again and push Boro up the table towards the Premier League
Steve Cooper
Former Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper is our second addition to this list. Cooper has had success in the Championship before with Forest winning the play-offs over Huddersfield Town in the 2021/22 season to put the side in the Premier League for the first time since the 1998/99 season.
Even with his time at Forest coming to a disappointing end, Cooper is in the job pool and looking for employment. With a track record of success, the ability to create a belief and break records, could he be the right man for Middlesborough?
Rob Edwards
Rob Edwards is a recognisable man across the EFL and Premier League having guided Luton Town to the English top tier in the 2022/23 season. Like Cooper, Edwards has a track record of success winning promotion with Luton Town and Forest Green Rovers, both of which were unexpected
The former Luton boss traditionally sets up in a 3-4-3 formation which would give players such as Morgan Whittaker the freedom of the wing to drive at defenders and shoot from distance.
With success interlinked into his managerial career, the ability to push sides who aren’t expected to be promoted higher up the league and the experience of all 4 professional leagues of English football, could Edwards bring Middlesborough to success?
Danny Rohl
The fourth option on our list is current Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl. Linked with perhaps every available job in the English and international market, Rohl looks to be on his way out of Wednesday following their 12th place finish in the Championship.
Rohl has managed to extract success in an arguably difficult situation at Sheffield Wednesday even being nominated for the Championship manager of the month in December 2024.
Could Rohl replace Michael Carrick and bring success back to the Riverside?
Ruben Selles
The final option on our list is Ruben Selles who was recently dismissed from the role of Hull City boss following the conclusion of the 2024-25 Championship season.
However, many fans and pundits alike consider this sacking to be unjust as Selles managed to keep Hull up having taken over with the Tigers in deep trouble at the bottom end of the table.
With the majority of his success coming from his time at Reading, the former Southampton boss mainly has experience in relegation battles but could he make the step up to manage Middlesborough to success?
Do You Agree?
With Michael Carrick being dismissed by Middlesborough today, do you agree with our 5 options to replace him or would you rather see someone else come in? Let us know below.