Middlesbrough midfielder and club captain Jonny Howson has revealed that boss Michael Carrick commanded instant respect when he came into the dressing room due to his achievements as a player.

In a fine career, the Boro boss played for clubs such as West Ham, Tottenham Hotspur and of course, Manchester United, as well as earning 34 caps for England.

It was at United that he made a real name for himself, appearing 464 times for the club and winning several honours, including the UEFA Champions League and multiple Premier League titles.

Those sorts of achievements meant Carrick had the full respect of the Boro squad upon his arrival, according to the club captain.

"I've been fortunate enough to have been managed by a few very good midfielders. The manager has probably been the best one for what he achieved during his playing career." Jonny Howson told Owen Swift on Middlesbrough club media.

"He won the Premier League, the Champions League, and played at the highest level with the best players in the world. So instantly when he walked through the door, you respect that and you're going to listen everything he says and take it onboard because he's been there and done it.

"If he's going to give me some advice that he thinks is going to help me or my team-mates, you know he's going to be right because he's been there and done it. For me personally, we played similar positions and every day is a learning day."

So far as Boro boss, Michael Carrick has taken charge of five matches, winning three, drawing once and losing once.

Those results see the club sit 15th in the Championship at present, and finally looking up instead of down this season.

Indeed, Carrick's side, despite their poor start to the campaign, are just four points outside the play-off positions at present as they prepare to face Luton on Saturday.

The Verdict

You can definitely see what Jonny Howson is saying here.

For any players, but particularly those at Championship level, to have Michael Carrick come into the dressing room, a player who has played for a huge club and won the very biggest honours in football must be hugely exciting.

Arguably, that has been reflected in the recent performances Carrick has been able to get out of the side, and the results that have been achieved because of those performances.

For the first time this season, Middlesbrough are now looking up the table with serious ambition as opposed to just optimism, and it wouldn't be a great surprise to see them continuing to climb the league under their new boss in the coming weeks.