Tottenham Hotspur could potentially take a look at their former midfielder Michael Carrick if he fails to see Middlesbrough promoted to the Premier League.
Are Spurs close to appointing a new manager?
It has now been over a month since Spurs parted ways with Antonio Conte on the back of some truly awful results under the Italian.
However, the results have not exactly improved since the 53-year-old's departure from north London with the Lilywhites dropping out of the Champions League places.
Under Ryan Mason, Spurs have shown some fight, but their first-half displays against Manchester United and Liverpool have put them heavily on the back foot leaving them an uphill task to turn around in the second 45 minutes.
Whilst the struggles on the pitch continue, Spurs' managerial search continues off it as Daniel Levy leads the search for his new manager ahead of the new campaign.
Spurs have been linked to the likes of Julian Nagelsmann, Arne Slot and even Vincent Kompany who has also made a name for himself in the Championship.
However, speaking on talkSPORT, journalist Alex Crook has claimed the Lilywhites could look to one of their former players if Boro are unable to work their way out of the Championship:
(0:26) "I still think they might go down the young up-and-coming route. We know they're big admirers of Vincent Kompany. He's definitely on their list of potential targets. Michael Carrick I think would be an interesting one to keep an eye on if Middlesbrough don't go up."
Is Carrick good enough to manage Tottenham?
Carrick was appointed by the North East side back in October when Boro were sitting just one point above the relegation zone in the second tier.
Now, with just one game remaining in the Championship, Middlesbrough will end the campaign in fourth spot with a place in the play-offs already secured.
However, they will come up against fierce competition with third-placed Luton Town currently five points ahead of them in the table with just one game remaining.
Their opponents in the semi-finals of the play-offs remains a mystery, however, it is apparent the 41-year-old may be being targeted if his side fails to clinch promotion.
The work he has done at the Riverside Stadium has been nothing short of exceptional having taken over a relegation-battling side under Chris Wilder earlier in the season.
And he has done so with a group of players which includes a number of young prospects which will surely prove attractive to Spurs with his side playing such "exciting" football in a 4-2-3-1 formation, according to journalist Phil Spencer.
He arrived at Middlesbrough having spent a number of years at Manchester United working under the likes of Jose Mourinho.
His experience as a manager is extremely limited in comparison to the likes of Nagelsmann, however, it is apparent Spurs are looking at a list of managers on the younger end of the spectrum.
Carrick could certainly prove a major risk in that sense, however, he is a manager who is showing a lot of promise in his early days at the helm of the Boro.
