Former West Ham striker Frank McAvennie has played down the chances of Middlesbrough manager Michael Carrick replacing David Moyes in the dugout at the London Stadium.
The ex-Manchester United star has had an impressive start to his managerial career in the North East, but McAvennie says the Hammers can’t afford a situation like Arsenal, where it took Mikel Arteta years to get things right:
“West Ham don’t need people learning their trade. They’ve not got the three years that Arsenal gave to Arteta.”
McAvennie is certainly right to point out the potential pitfalls of appointing someone like Carrick. With the club involved in a relegation battle, you can’t bring in someone who doesn’t have the experience to deal with such a scenario.
On the other hand, Carrick has shown during his short time with Boro that he can hit the ground running. In his 23 matches in charge of the Teessiders, he has won 16, drawn four, and lost just five times.
Reports have, though, said that Carrick may only be interested in taking over at the end of the season anyway, so the arguments about his appointment may be moot.