Middlesbrough star Chuba Akpom says that he was left feeling excited about the future after having a chat with Jadon Sancho about Michael Carrick.
Carrick was assistant manager to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Manchester United and even took charge of the Reds temporarily before Ralf Rangnick was appointed. After taking a break from football, the 41-year-old was named the permanent boss of Boro in October after the Teessiders had struggled under Chris Wilder.
Their turnaround since then has been magnificent. Carrick has gained more than two points per game at the Riverside and they now sit third in the Championship, seven points behind Sheffield United. While many players at Boro were heading into this new chapter in the dark about what to expect, Akpom explained that he was relishing Carrick's arrival after a chat with Sancho.
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He told Middlesbrough's official website: "No [I wasn't concerned about Carrick's arrival], I was actually really excited because a good friend of mine is Jadon Sancho at Manchester United and he had nothing but good things to say about the manager, so I kind of knew already what to expect from the gaffer. But I didn’t know it’d go this well."
Akpom has scored 22 goals in 30 appearances for the second-tier club as they push for a return to the Premier League. While Sancho clearly admires Carrick, the feeling appears to be mutual.
Speaking in 2021, Carrick made a prediction about Sancho's future: "He’s a terrific player, Jadon. He’s never happier than when the ball’s at his feet, he’s trying to create things, going at defenders, linking inside with forwards, creating chances and scoring goals.
"Who’s to say how far he can go? Hopefully he fulfils every little bit of potential that he has. The potential he’s got is massive, if he keeps doing the right things and keeps on the right track, then he’s got a great chance."
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