As a midfielder Michael Carrick was so subtly intelligent that spectators in the stands sometimes barely noticed his consistent success in shaping and controlling games. Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira may have possessed greater physical presence and Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard were definitely more dynamic but Carrick’s technically assured vision prompted valid comparisons to Spain’s Sergio Busquets and Xabi Alonso.
Three months into his first managerial posting at Middlesbrough the former West Ham, Manchester United and England anchor is already exerting a similarly understated yet potentially revolutionary effect on this season’s Championship. Carrick appears so quietly unshowy, so modestly down to earth that it is easy to overlook the root-and-branch reform he has undertaken since succeeding Chris Wilder in late October.
