How Chuba Akpom has reacted to Michael Carrick being sacked by Middlesbrough | OneFootball

The former Boro forward took to social media to share his thoughts on the news that Michael Carrick is out as Middlesbrough head coach.

Chuba Akpom has sent a heartwarming message to Michael Carrick after news that his former Middlesbrough head coach had been sacked as Boro boss.

An official club statement was released on Wednesday afternoon confirming that the 43-year-old had been relieved of his duties at the Riverside Stadium.

It comes after the Manchester United and England legend could only guide his team to a 10th-placed finish in the Championship this past season, which was comfortably below Middlesbrough's promotion ambitions.

In the hours that have followed since his departure, a host of his former players have shared their thoughts on the former Boro boss, one of them being Akpom.

Chuba Akpom reacts to Michael Carrick Middlesbrough sack

Taking to his Instagram stories on Thursday, Akpom sent a short but sweet message to his former manager, as well as other members of Carrick's former Middlesbrough coaching staff.

The 29-year-old posted a picture of himself celebrating a goal with Carrick and first-team coaching staff members Jonathan Woodgate and Aaron Danks.

Captioning that image was his message to his old Boro coaches, which read: "What a crew, thanks for everything."

The reason why Chuba Akpom thanked Michael Carrick in social media message

Before Carrick arrived as Middlesbrough head coach, Akpom's career on Teesside was on a direct route to failure.

Signed by Neil Warnock in the summer of 2020 for around £2.75m, Akpom's debut season in the North East was underwhelming. He would score just five times in 39 total appearances, with Warnock failing to get much of a goalscoring return out his striker.

After spending the 2021/22 season on loan with Greek side PAOK - the club Boro signed him from - the former Arsenal academy graduate would return to Teesside with a new man in charge: Chris Wilder.

However, Wilder didn't see him as being part of his first-team plans, and Akpom even trained with the youth team as he waited to get the green light on a move away from the Riverside that summer.

But, no move ever materialised, an after an injury crisis in the forward ranks, Wilder called upon his outcast as an emergency stand-in. After some impressive performances that would keep him in the team, Akpom's status in the side once again came under question after Middlesbrough made a managerial change.

In October 2022, Wilder was out and Carrick was in. Little did Akpom know at the time, but this would be a watershed moment in his career.

Carrick saw what many other managers who'd worked with Akpom before him didn't - an attacking midfielder, not a centre-forward. With that, Boro's number 29 began operating behind the striker, and the rest, they say, is history.

Akpom scored 28 league goals in a Middlesbrough shirt, and was crowned the Championship's golden boot winner for the 2022/23 season as a result. Off the back of that, he was able to land a big-money move to Ajax in the summer of 2023, and has also spent time playing for French Ligue 1 side Lille.

But it's fair to say that without Carrick's intervention, Akpom's career may well have petered out as a result of his prior status at the Riverside Stadium.