Middlesbrough manager Michael Carrick may be one of the candidates to replace the under pressure at Premier League strugglers Crystal Palace, according to The Guardian.
Wednesday’s 1-0 defeat by arch arrivals Brighton and Hove Albion – Solly March’s scoring winner in the 15th minute on March 15th – may be, if not the final straw, then one of the final few.
Crystal Palace are now on a run of one win in 14 Premier League games. They have scored just six times in that period. No wonder Vieira is under pressure. Not just from a frustrated Palace fanbase but also from a ‘deeply unimpressed’ chairman Steve Parish.
To make matters worse, The Eagles travel to league leaders Arsenal this weekend. Remarkably, Crystal Palace hammered Mikel Arteta’s side 3-0 at Selhurst Park less than 12 months ago. How the tables have turned.
Crystal Palace eye Middlesbrough coach Michael Carrick
The Guardian believes that possible Vieira replacements are already in the process of being identified. Some of the most exciting up-and-coming tactical minds in English football are likely to feature highly on Parish’s wishlist; former Manchester United and England midfielder Carrick among them.
Carrick, in stark contrast to Vieira’s Palace, has led Middlesbrough on a remarkable run of results since replacing the vastly-more experienced Chris Wilder in October. He has won 15 out of 22 games in charge of the Riverside outfit; transforming Boro from relegation candidates to automatic promotion chasers in a manner reminiscent of Steve Cooper at Nottingham Forest.
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A Champions League and five-time Premier League winner at Old Trafford; Crystal Palace supporters would be hoping for a similarly instant impact if Carrick takes over from Vieira in the Eagles dugout.
Fellow strugglers West Ham United have also been linked with Carrick; a one-time Hammers star. Former England team-mate Darren Bent, however, believes the 41-year-old is better off sticking around at a club on an upward trajectory instead of taking over one heading in the opposite direction.
“I think if you had the option, (I would pick) Michael Carrick all day long,” Bent tells talkSPORT. “But Middlesbrough are absolutely flying. (If I were him) I am sticking with Middlesbrough.”
Crystal Palace are still 12th in the table. But there are only five points separating them from bottom-place Southampton.
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