MIDDLESBROUGH head coach Michael Carrick is very much his own man with his own managerial principles and his own beliefs on how the game should be played.

But on his journey to the dugout, the Boro head coach learnt from some true managerial greats. And that still continues to be the case.

Carrick is still in close contact with Sir Alex Ferguson, and has spoken to his former Manchester United manager since he took the Boro job.

And, in a brilliant wide-ranging interview with Sky Bet, Carrick discusses how he sometimes realises his actions at Boro are a result of how he saw some of his former bosses, including Sir Alex and Louis van Gaal, behave. And he also reflects on his "fantastic" stint working as part of Jose Mourinho's coaching staff at Old Trafford.

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During Boro's search for a manager after Chris Wilder's exit, Sir Alex called Steve Gibson to recommend Carrick. Sir Alex and Boro's head coach have remained close since their time together at Manchester United, with Carrick tapping into his former boss's knowledge and experience before he took the Boro job and on a couple of occasions since he started at the Riverside.

"I wouldn't say he's on speed dial but Sir Alex is definitely someone I speak to now and again," said Carrick.

"Not overly, maybe once or twice since I've been here. Certainly before I got here, to run one or two things past him and see what his thoughts were. He lives really close to my home in Manchester. We have that relationship where for me it's invaluable, to have someone like that to learn from, not to drive him mad all the time but pick my moments.

"Playing for him for so long, I was always conscious of what managers said at certain times, half time, full time or during the week. It just naturally got my attention so I obviously learnt a huge amount from him."

Carrick doesn't actively copy any of his former bosses but at times says he realises the way he deals with certain situations could be a result of the manner in which he saw his managers work.

He says: "In situations I've found it's not always in the moment you think, 'I need to do this because this coach did it or that manager did it'. It's subconsciously. I react in a certain way and then I think maybe I did that because I've seen Jose do it it or Louis (van Gaal) did it or Sir Alex. It's not something you draw on in that moment but it just becomes instinct."

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After retiring, Carrick stepped into coaching as part of Mourinho's backroom team at Manchester United.

"That was fantastic, an unbelievable opportunity for me," he says.

"Coming towards the end of my playing career, it caught me by surprise, I don't think you can ever expect an opportunity like that even though I'd been at the club a long time.

"Seeing Jose close up, what he saw in players, how quickly he spotted strengths and weaknesses, how he made his mind up very quickly and was very decisive, tactically how he went about things. I know it was short because things changed quite quickly but seeing him work behind the scenes was very interesting and something I learnt a lot from."

Michael Carrick’s interview with Sky Bet is available to watch on YouTube HERE.