MICHAEL Carrick insists what he achieved as a player is "irrelevant" now he's a head coach but despite the modest insistence of Middlesbrough's boss, his glittering CV can undoubtedly help Boro in this summer's transfer window.

The opportunity to play for former Manchester United great Carrick is a big pull, as several of Boro's signings over the course of the last 18 months have alluded to after putting pen to paper.

That remains, despite the fact it's now been six years since Carrick hung up his boots.

But now there's twice the appeal. Not only will Carrick's profile turn heads - despite the head coach's claims that some of his squad members won't even remember him as a player - but what will also play into Boro's hands will be the reputation the 42-year-old has gained since making the move into the dugout.

With Carrick and the club's recruitment team pulling in the same direction, Boro can now be clearly associated with a specific style of football and have shown a path for swift progression for gifted young players.

And that is what Carrick will point to when speaking to transfer targets this summer, not what he achieved during his playing days.

“Ultimately, the fact I played a little bit is irrelevant now," he said.

"It’s the boys who go out on that pitch and my past playing in many ways becomes irrelevant. It’s a different thing, it’s a different role. Just because you’ve played a good level, doesn’t mean you will be suited and do well in management. They’re two different roles.

"The experience can help, of course. But there are so many different skills involved in management compared to playing. What’s important now is what I can do now and what I can do with the group of players I’ve got now. Some of the boys probably don’t even remember me as a player!"

Carrick admits all he won and his class as a player might well have helped his cause in the very early days at Boro but no longer thinks that's the case.

"To start with, there is a freshness," he said.

"When I first got here I was so fresh from playing and it was my first management role, so the player side of it was always there.

"I’d like to think the longer I’m here, the longer the boys get to know me and the longer we work together, that factor becomes irrelevant.

"You’d probably have to ask the players themselves, but I’d like to think, as time goes on, I don’t want to be the ex-player, I want to be the coach and the manager."

The transfer window opens today, with Boro set to be boosted by the capture of Aidan Morris, who will join Luke Ayling through the door at the Riverside.

Boro will then turn their attention to a striker, with a leading target identified, and a versatile forward player.

The arrival of Morris will be a major boost, with strengthening in midfield a key priority at the start of the summer.

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As a midfielder back in his playing days, Carrick was known for his passing range, vision and his ability to read a game - so does he think any of his skills or the fact he played in the middle of the park helped him make the transition into management?

“The only thing I could really say on that is that as a midfielder you’re right in the thick of the game, so you should be connected to all areas of the game," he said.

"You’d like to think that hopefully means there is a clear understanding there. As with many things, however, there’s a case for it and plenty of cases you could argue that it doesn’t really make a difference.

"But certainly, in terms of my experience and how I see the game, it’s a little bit of when I was playing, what relationships did I have, what worked and what didn’t.

"And that comes from being in the middle of the pitch where you can feel and get used to everything around you."