Carrick reveals conversations with Sir Alex

The 41-year-old, who was briefly in caretaker charge at Old Trafford last winter, prior to taking a break from the game, was announced as the Championship side’s new manager on Monday.

While Carrick was a member of the backroom team here under Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, this is his first permanent job in management and he is keen to absorb any help offered – and what better sounding board than the most successful boss in the history of English football? 

“I spoke to Sir Alex a few times. I’ve spoken to him more since I stopped playing – I didn’t want to get too close to him when I was a player,” Carrick told reporters at his Boro unveiling.

“I spoke to him a lot. It’s well documented that he has a real pride and a care about ex-players progressing and being coaches, managers and takes a real pride and care in helping them as well. He’s certainly done that to me and I really appreciate the advice he’s given me.”

Carrick won everything there is to win during a glittering 12-year playing career in M16, having been signed from Tottenham as a long-term replacement for Roy Keane by Sir Alex in 2006.

There’s no doubt then, that the Glaswegian had a huge impact on Carrick as a footballer and he’ll now hope to take some of that into the dugout.

“Hugely,” Carrick replied when asked how much Sir Alex has influenced him. “I thought I knew football to a point until I got to United, and it taught me a whole different way of living, breathing, how to play football, how to win, and it all stemmed from the boss.

“He was a huge, huge influence, improved my game, made me a better person in all sorts of different ways, so I’ve got a lot to thank him for.”

While Carrick acknowledges Ferguson was one of the best man managers in the business, he also admits times have changed and that he’ll be looking to forge his own style of leadership at the Riverside Stadium.

“Do I look like an angry Scotsman? Listen, you’ve got to be your own person to a point. Society and social circles are very different now to what they were some time ago.

“I’m well aware of that and I think you’ve got to treat the individuals all differently to a point and get the best out of them individually – which he did, by the way, in different ways, so I learned a lot from that.

“But again, I’ve got to trust my instincts and not try to copy too much. I’m my own person and I’m comfortable with that.”