'Very decisive tactically' - What Carrick learned from Mourinho during Man Utd assistant manager stint

• Carrick discusses life under Mourinho
• Special One managed United from 2016 to 2018
• Praised him for deep understanding

WHAT HAPPENED? Following a strong start to life as a manager at Middlesbrough, Carrick has opened up on what he learnt from his time at United under some of the very best in the business. He spoke highly of Mourinho, who managed him until his 2018 retirement, when he then embarked on a career as a coach, starting out as a part of Mourinho's staff.

WHAT HE SAID: Carrick was incredibly complimentary of the current Roma manager when speaking to Sky Bet's League of 72: "It was fantastic, an unbelievable opportunity for me coming towards the end [of my career]. It kind of caught me by surprise."

He added: "I don’t think you can ever expect an opportunity like that to come along even though I’d been at the club a long time. Seeing Jose close up and what he’d seen in players, how quickly he spotted strengths and weaknesses, he made up his mind very quickly and was very decisive tactically how he went about things. A terrific experience and it was a short point unfortunately with Jose in the end, things changed quite quickly."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Carrick, a United legend for his services to the club from 2006 up until his 2021 departure, quickly found his stride after retiring in 2018 and served as a first-team coach for both Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. After Solskjaer was sacked in 2021, Carrick took charge of two United games, winning both, before leaving the club completely. He currently has Boro sat fourth in the Championship after 27 games.

IN TWO PHOTOS:

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WHAT NEXT FOR CARRICK? Despite it being his first job as a manager on a full-time basis, Carrick has very quickly made an impact. He and Middlesbrough are now pushing hard to finish in the play-offs, with one eye on a return to the Premier League.