Michael Carrick has been blown away by the spirit inside the Middlesbrough dressing room and the support he's had from staff in his first two months at the club.

Despite becoming a head coach for the first time when he took the Boro job, the former Manchester United midfielder insists he hasn't been surprised by any aspect of life in the dugout.

In fact, the 41-year-old says he's enjoyed the early stages of his first foray into full-time management even more than he thought he would.

READ MORE: Jonny Howson 'won't stop trying' as he talks Middlesbrough promotion dreams & future

Results will have undoubtedly played a part in that. Carrick has lost just two of his seven games in charge of Boro so far, one being his first game in the dugout just four days after he took charge and the other coming at table-topping Burnley last time out.

Wigan, who are second bottom and yet to win under Kolo Toure, are visitors to a sold-out Riverside on Boxing Day, with Boro looking to further close the four-point gap to the Championship play-off places.

Despite the improvement on his watch, Carrick is reluctant to take the praise and hails the players and his staff for helping him settle on Teesside and at Boro so quickly.

“It’s gone well and I’ve really enjoyed it," said the head coach, reflecting on his time in charge so far.

"It's been as I expected really, although I’ve enjoyed it even more than I probably could have hoped for in terms of being around the club and the staff and the environment that we’re in here.

"The support that I’ve had has been very nice and I’ve really enjoyed it. In terms of the role and what’s popped up that I’ve had to deal with, there’s not really been any surprises. For me, it’s just a real hunger to keep pushing to get better as a club and a team and my role is to try and help the players do that.

"It’s a hell of a group of players in terms of the dynamics and the spirit within the group, and I include all the staff in that. That’s a really nice thing to see and it’s important to have that, and up to us to keep that."

READ MORE:

Boro welcome Wigan looking to bounce back from the defeat at Turf Moor but calm Carrick's message to his players after that setback was unchanged.

As a player and now as a head coach, Carrick stresses the importance of not being "extreme" with emotions, regardless of results.

Asked whether dealing with defeat is different as boss to how it was a player, Carrick said: “It’s still the same largely. There is a slight difference because obviously as a player you were out there performing and so you could make a difference to the game in that way. Obviously now I can make a difference in other ways, and that’s what you’re always looking to do.

"So it’s a different mindset or way of thinking during the game. But ultimately wins you enjoy just the same and losing is not nice.

"You can’t be extreme with those emotions week to week because it’s that long of a season that you would be worn out emotionally by Christmas. It’s a marathon and you’ve got to be calm and patient about things, which I certainly am.”