Report: Tottenham eyeing 41-year-old manager loved by Sir Alex Ferguson

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On Friday evening, multiple reports regarding Tottenham Hotspur and Julian Nagelsmann began doing the rounds.

They claimed Spurs were not interested in the 37-year-old manager, and never even held talks with him.

Since then, other reports have come out with varying and sometimes conflicting information about what happened.

For example, 90Min claimed that Tottenham held initial talks with Nagelsmann, but eventually pulled the plug.

The outlet also looked at a number of managers that are still in contention in wake of the Nagelsmann bombshell.

Apparently, Middlesbrough manager Michael Carrick is one of several managers who have “admirers” at Spurs.

The 41-year-old hasn’t been a manager for long, but he has certainly hit the ground running in the dugout.

Boro were sitting 21st in the Championship when he took over from Chris Wilder last October.

Carrick has since turned the Teesside outfit into promotion challengers, earning themselves a place in the playoffs.

‘One of the most intelligent’

As a player, Carrick earned widespread praise from many of his peers and managers.

Sir Alex Ferguson, who coached Carrick at Manchester United, lauded his personality as well as his talent on the pitch.

“Michael is not a guy that seeks a lot of publicity,” he said, as per Teesside Live, via MSN. “He is a quiet lad.

“He goes about his life in a similar way to Scholes. It doesn’t mean he is not recognised by us.

“You get players like that. Denis Irwin was the same. He was not the type to trumpet his achievements.

“It is quite refreshing in the modern game that we have players who can rely on their ability, not only by promoting or projecting themselves.

“Michael is mentally strong, too. He has a different personality to most players.

“That can be misread by a lot of people, thinking he has to be encouraged all the time. That is not the case.”

Meanwhile, Harry Redknapp told The Sun that Carrick was “one of the most intelligent” players he’s ever known.

It’s no surprise that Carrick is now shining as a manager. He certainly has transferrable skills which have made him one of the rising stars of English management.

Could Tottenham look to bring their former midfielder back to North London? Spurs will surely be looking at how he gets on in the playoffs.