MICHAEL CARRICK is confident the best is still to come with Middlesbrough – hence his willingness to sign a new three-year deal on Teesside.

Carrick’s new contract was confirmed earlier today, with the head coach committing his future to Boro until the summer of 2027.

The North-Easterner’s previous deal was due to expire at the end of next summer, and all parties had been keen to secure a new agreement to rule out any uncertainty that might have developed next season.

Talks were swiftly concluded, and while Carrick is pleased with the way things have gone since he replaced Chris Wilder in October 2022, he is excited at the prospect of how much further Boro could go in the next three years.

“There’s something you just feel in your gut, your instinct, your feeling,” said Carrick. “It’s hard to really explain what exactly that it is, but I’m sure everyone knows that feeling when you just feel good about something.

“I’d say I’m comfortable here, but not comfortable as in relaxed comfortable, where the attitude is, ‘This is nice, we can all sit back and have a nice time’. It’s a comfort in knowing and trusting the people around you.

“I’m really big on having people around you that you trust, and being in it for the right reasons. That gives you a comfort, knowing that we’re in it together.

“Being from the North-East and understanding the culture, there’s certainly a big attachment there for me as well. It just fits - for whatever reason, it just fits. We’ve done alright so far but we certainly want more. We want to keep improving and the future is exciting.”

While Carrick is happy with the way the playing squad has developed in the last 18 months, his relationship with his coaching staff and the rest of Boro’s backroom team is one of the biggest factors behind his continued enjoyment in his current role.

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While the loss of Aaron Danks to Bayern Munich would be a blow, with the first-team coach having been heavily linked with a senior position in Vincent Kompany’s new coaching team, Carrick has a strong relationship with both Jonathan Woodgate, who is effectively his right-hand man, and Grant Leadbitter, who is playing an increasingly prominent role within the first-team group.

He also has a close working relationship with head of football, Kieran Scott, and a strong bond with owner and chairman, Steve Gibson.

Under each of the previous two head coaches, Neil Warnock and Chris Wilder, there were tensions between the boss and the recruitment operation. Under Carrick, everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet.

“It’s so important to have that alignment,” said the former England international, in an interview with Boro's official website. “For me, that means an awful lot. Everyone is different in terms of what they want to achieve, how they want to go about it and how they think is the best method to bring them success. Whether that’s coaches, players or someone in the hierarchy of the club, everyone is different.

“But for me, an alignment and understanding is crucial. I like working with people, feeding off people and working together. We’ve certainly got that here. There’s a trust which has been built over time, but was pretty much there straight away anyway.

“Hopefully, that comes across in how we work, and also how consistent we’ve been through the ups and downs. Hopefully, there will be a lot more ups next season, but going through the downs that we have faced only enhances the trust and the belief that we are on the right track.”

Luke Ayling was confirmed as Boro’s first summer signing last week, and with further additions in the pipeline, Carrick is confident his side will be able to build on last season’s eighth-place finish in order to mount a strong push for promotion next term.

“We want to achieve something here and have real success,” he said. “It’s not easy, we’ve seen that. But certainly, to take the club forward, we feel we’ve got a good foundation. It can sometimes make it feel that little bit more special when you go through some challenging periods to achieve something. It makes it all the sweeter.”