Middlesbrough FC v Wigan: No distractions for Michael Carrick on 'special' Boxing Day

A 30,000-plus crowd, with home sections all sold out, will arrive with a fair amount of expectation.

Ever the professional, Carrick is steadfastly focusing on business, even if the size of the attendance will provide an obvious glimpse into the progress he is making on Teesside with Boro certainly a far happier club that they were a few months ago.

Carrick said: "It (Boxing Day) has always got that special feel about it, the tradition in the game and what it stands for. To have a full house at home, it's a great game for all of us to sample that atmosphere and feed off it, use the energy.

"Players and staff and supporters, we need to work off each other and create energy off each other and feed off it. It's a great game for us, it's there for us to go and play well and prepare right and be in the right frame of mind."

Christmas is also a choice time to reflect and while Carrick is relishing his first crack in the managerial realm as a permanent ‘number one’, with a good return of four wins in his opening seven games representing a pretty healthy start, the driven former Manchester United midfielder plainly sees it as just the start.

He added: "First and foremost I'm really enjoying it. I feel really comfortable. I'm really settled and it feels like we're in a good place, without being satisfied.

"I've said it a lot, we're not satisfied with what we've done so far.

“It's easy to get distracted at this time of year. It's our responsibility as a group to be in the right frame of mind and prepare right.

“As a player I always really enjoyed it (Boxing Day). I always enjoyed the challenge of the possible distractions, who could prepare the best, myself as an individual and as a team. Not let anything dilute your performance or preparation.”

Last six games: Middlesbrough WDWWWL; Wigan LDLWDL.Referee: O Langford (West Midlands).Last time: Middlesbrough 1 Wigan 0, August 20, 2019; Championship.