Carrick was dismissed on Wednesday, along with coaches Jonathan Woodgate and Graeme Carrick, but while the Boro hierarchy are keen for the search for his successor not to drag on too far into the summer, the fact that pre-season training does not begin for another month means they do not have to rush the process.
A number of possible candidates have already been assessed, with some out-of-work bosses understood to have been approached to confirm their interest and availability.
Former Nottingham Forest and Leicester City boss Steve Cooper is one of the options being considered, and while reports emerged yesterday suggesting the 45-year-old would rather work abroad than return to the Championship, he is understood to remain part of Boro’s initial shortlisting process.
READ MORE:
While Cooper is believed to have reservations about a Championship role, Boro officials are confident he could be won round if the club opted to go in that direction.
Rob Edwards is another leading candidate, with the former Luton Town boss having been a youth coach at Wolves when Boro’s sporting director, Kieran Scott, and head of recruitment, Chris Jones, were both part of the recruitment team at Molineux. Edwards was touted as a leading option prior to Boro appointing Carrick just under three years ago.
Former Middlesbrough midfielder Gary O’Neil is another option who is currently out of work, while Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl is known to have his backers within the corridors of power at the Riverside. As he is currently employed at Hillsborough, a move for Rohl would involve a compensation payment.
However, given Sheffield Wednesday’s troubled financial position – the club was charged by the EFL over payment delays earlier this week – that would not be a deal-breaker.
Robbie Keane was mentioned as a possible candidate by a number of media outlets, but the former Boro assistant is not believed to be in the running for a return to Teesside.
