Middlesbrough have agreed terms with Michael Carrick to take over as their new head coach.
The former Manchester United midfielder and interim boss is set to sign his contract in the next 24 hours with the Teesside club close to concluding their search for a successor to Chris Wilder.
Boro and Carrick are also finalising terms with his
backroom staff and the appointment is expected to be announced before the weekend.
Carrick, 41, could be in the dugout to take charge of the team against Huddersfield on Saturday.
Before that, Boro travel to Wigan Athletic in the Championship on Wednesday evening.
Carrick has held advanced discussions with the Boro hierarchy in the past 48 hours, after Wilder was dismissed on October 3 following five defeats in the first 11 league games of the season and a Carabao Cup first-round exit against Barnsley.
Leo Percovich has overseen first-team affairs over the past two weeks, assisted by Craig Liddle, Mark Tinkler and Lee Cattermole, during which time Middlesbrough beat Birmingham, but then lost to Millwall and Blackburn.
If appointed, the job will be Carrick’s first in a permanent managerial position. After retiring in 2018, he became part of the coaching staff at United, serving under Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer before departing Old Trafford upon Ralf Rangnick’s arrival last December.
Carrick is understood to have been recommended by England boss Gareth Southgate, who has a strong relationship with Boro chairman Steve Gibson following his time there as a player and manager.
The club had already held discussions with a number of candidates interviewed for the vacancy last week, alongside Rob Edwards, Cattermole and others.
Scott Parker, who was sacked by Bournemouth earlier this season, and out-of-work Sean Dyche were also in Boro’s thinking as they searched for the right successor to Wilder.
Carrick faces a tough start to life at the Riverside, should he take charge, with five of Middlesbrough’s seven remaining fixtures before the World Cup taking place away from home.
‘Carrick can bring a fresh outlook’
Sky Sports’ David Prutton:
“Having distanced himself last week, the cynic in you is thinking: ‘If it didn’t sound like the right move straight off the bat, what’s happened since then that’s got him back up to speed?’. But Middlesbrough is a cracking place, given the history and prestige of the club.
“The chairman Steve Gibson loves the place, he’s born and bred, and he has made himself very successful and at times the club has been very successful too. There’s been a period of underperforming under several managers, but Michael would come in with a fresh outlook.
“Sometimes, it’s looking at the same set of players with a fresh set of eyes. I know that Chris Wilder was frustrated with a lack of transfer activity, but there’s still a very workable squad there that shouldn’t be anywhere near where it is.
“Michael has learned his apprenticeship at the coalface as it was at Manchester United as an assistant and taking over for a little bit, and that should stand him in good stead.”
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