Watford v Middlesbrough: Minds moulded by Manchester United set to meet in the Championship

He was among the senior figures in the Manchester United squad when a young Tom Cleverley emerged from Carrington’s conveyor belt of talent to join the first-team ranks.

They played together for club and country, with Cleverley undoubtedly learning plenty from one of the country’s most revered midfielders.

For those who followed the final years of Sir Alex Ferguson’s Old Trafford tenure, seeing Carrick and Cleverley in opposing dugouts will be a reminder of how quickly time races on.

"From the moment he came through the academy and trained with the first-team, his hunger to train and improve and practice, every single day, he had a really good way about him,” Carrick said. “He had a fantastic career and it shows you what that can do, in terms of attitude.

"He's obviously got talent and ability. His love of the game shone through and his intelligence after that kept adding to his game all the time. He's doing really well, I'm pleased for him. We're still in touch, we're still friends.”

Carrick is two years into his managerial career, while Cleverley’s is still in its infancy having taken on the Hornets gig in April.

Just one point separates their sides, with Boro sat seventh on 14 points and the Hornets eighth on 13.

“I know Tom very well and the work that he's doing is some really good work,” Carrick said. “We're going down there confident, within reason, with a balanced kind of belief. We've got to be near our best again to try and get the right result.”