Middlesbrough: Pundit makes Michael Carrick claim involving West Ham | OneFootball

Frank McAvennie has warned West Ham that they should have appointed Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick or someone similar instead of Julen Lopetegui, speaking to West Ham Zone.

The Irons had been the subject of managerial speculation for some time, with rumours previously circulating about David Moyes' future at the London Stadium.

And it has recently been confirmed that Moyes will be leaving the club at the end of the season, allowing someone else to take the reins.

Although some have warned fans that they could struggle after Moyes' departure, a sizeable chunk of the fanbase is keen to see a new manager come in to implement a different style of play in the English capital.

The Irons could have taken their time to identify Moyes' successor, with the end of the campaign fast approaching, but Lopetegui is reportedly closing in on the top job.

The 57-year-old has an impressive CV, managing Porto, Spain, Real Madrid, Sevilla and Wolverhampton Wanderers during his time in the game.

Now a free agent, he is set to be poached by the Premier League side, who will be keen to keep hold of Jarrod Bowen and other key players and build on Moyes' progress.

With the experience that Lopetegui has, the Irons could achieve the latter task.

Frank McAvennie suggests Michael Carrick as an alternative to Julen Lopetegui at West Ham

The 57-year-old departed his head coach role with his national side to take up the Real Madrid job in 2018, when Spain were already in Russia preparing for the World Cup.

He also voluntarily quit his job at Wolves - and McAvennie is worried about whether Lopetegui will stay committed to the job at the London Stadium.

He said: "There were big problems at Wolves, weren’t there? He’s come into the Premier League before but he’s not set the world on fire, has he? Managing abroad and managing in this country are two different things.

"And then the Spain thing, when he went and spoke to Real Madrid. Well, I don’t blame him [for doing that] but you can’t just jump ship, no matter who you are. You’ve got a responsibility to Spain.

"This makes me think, if he was to get the West Ham job, if something bigger were to come up, he’d be off. I don’t think he’s got any morals. I don’t know the guy, but for him to leave the Spanish job to go to Real Madrid, that’s a big statement, isn’t it? It means he’s sought-after.

"Listen, I’m old school but I’d have liked to have brought in maybe Michael Carrick or something. That would have done me if someone like that had come in. Somebody who knows the club and somebody who knows how to get the best out of players."

Michael Carrick could benefit from spending more time at Middlesbrough

Carrick has enjoyed a very successful time at Boro.

The Teesside club have richly benefitted from having him as their head coach, but he will still want to do some more learning before taking the step up to the top flight.

The West Ham job is a big one that comes with big expectations.

That doesn't mean that the Boro job isn't a big one - because it is and it's a great first job for Carrick to have with the potential that the club has.

But there will probably be a lot more pressure on him at the London Stadium.