Michael Carrick should finally raid Man Utd for 21-year-old if he's given Middlesbrough backing | OneFootball

Michael Carrick hasn't raided his former club for new players yet, and there's one Manchester United player to whom he may wish to give consideration.

Middlesbrough head coach Michael Carrick may need extra additions to his squad ahead of the new season, and his connections with Manchester United could serve him well in this respect.

Carrick had three matches in charge of United in November 2021 following the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjær, and left that caretaker position with two wins and a draw.

He was on the coaching staff at Old Trafford from his retirement as a player in 2018 until he was appointed to the job at Middlesbrough in October 2022, and has now completed two full seasons as the Boro manager.

Michael Carrick needs Middlesbrough reinforcements for next season and his former club could help

One United player springs immediately to mind as being a good place to start for Carrick and Boro this summer - defensive midfielder Toby Collyer.

The 21-year-old could be available, and he is a highly-rated young player who's already expressed an interest in playing in the Championship in order to get more game time.

Carrick's two-and-a-half years on Teesside have so far been characterised by a sense of slow decline on the pitch.

At the end of his first season in charge of the club (2022/23), Boro finished fourth and were beaten in the play-off semi-finals by Coventry City. The following season, they finished 8th and four points short of a play-off place, and now the 2024/25 season ended with them 10th, again four points short.

This raises the question of whether Carrick should or will be entrusted to lead Middlesbrough into next season, but if he does - and there have been few signs that the club are about to pull the trigger on him so far - he will need fresh faces.

One area where Boro evidently need to strengthen - and has already been named as a priority for the club this summer - is in central midfield.

The heart of Carrick's side this past season was rather soft-centred, and with interest sure to arrive for Hayden Hackney, Middlesbrough may well need to find Aidan Morris a new midfield partner this summer.

Toby Collyer has already said he could be open to Championship move

Carrick has spent a long time around the Manchester United training ground, so he will be plenty aware of Collyer, a 21-year-old who came through their academy at Brighton before moving to Old Trafford in March 2022 after refusing a new contract from his former club.

He's made six appearances for United in the Premier League during the 2024/25 season (as of AM 16 May) before injury laid him low. He is now back in training and being reported as due to return for one of their final two games of the season.

But if Manchester United need a lot of work done on them this summer, Collyer might be waiting a long time for a regular starting role at Old Trafford. This is where Middlesbrough could step in with something mutually advantageous for the player and both of the clubs involved.

Collyer said in January that he could be open to a move to the Championship either on loan or permanently, in order to get more game time, and as he's classified by the Premier League as a homegrown player, United would benefit from the sale in terms of hitting their PSR targets.

Collyer has had significant problems with injuries this season, so there may be an element of risk to taking him to Middlesbrough.

But, he also came in for significant praise for some of his performances in the Premier League throughout 2024/25 before injury disrupted his season so badly; Middlesbrough could significantly benefit from having such a promising young player among their number.

Michael Carrick has not yet gone back to Old Trafford for reinforcements since becoming Boro boss, but Collyer could be an excellent place to start if Carrick is still in his position by the time their summer rebuild comes around.