Michael Carrick’s rivalry vs Sunderland runs deep for three different reasons

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Manchester United face Sunderland in the Premier League this weekend and it is a fixture that has extra emotions attached for Michael Carrick.

For the first time since 2017, Manchester United will travel to the Stadium of Light to face Sunderland in an away Premier League match.

The Red Devils are still competing for a third-place finish in the Premier League and Michael Carrick is still working to convince Ineos that he should be appointed permanently in the summer.

There are three other factors that make the Sunderland match important for Carrick.

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Michael Carrick’s North East rivalry

Carrick grew up supporting Newcastle United, despite never playing for the Magpies during his career.

In 2018, Carrick spoke about nearly joining Newcastle in his career, but he instead made the move to Old Trafford where he went on to win five Premier League titles.

Carrick grew up with Sunderland being his biggest rivals to his boyhood club, and on Saturday, he has a chance to inflict defeat on the Black Cats.

Being Middlesbrough manager

If Carrick’s boyhood support of Newcastle didn’t already paint Sunderland as rivals, then his time as Middlesbrough manager certainly will.

Middlesbrough have a fierce rivalry with Sunderland, and Carrick experienced it as a manager.

As quoted by GazetteLive in 2023, Carrick said: “Middlesbrough vs Sunderland is a terrific game. I love the rivalry and the competition within this area of the country, the passion is fantastic, and it’s my first derby as a manager.”

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Losing the title at Sunderland in 2012

In 2012, United lost the Premier League title in devastating fashion because of Manchester City’s late comeback against QPR.

The news broke to United after they secured a 1-0 win over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, and the home fans wasted no time poking fun at the Red Devils when the title slipped out of grasp.

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“It’s a stadium where I’ve had some ups and downs,” Carrick said of the Stadium of Light. “The one that stands out is obviously the one where we lost the league.”

Carrick will return to that ground on Saturday, this time as the United boss.