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Michael Carrick received the ultimate endorsement for his managerial abilities this week when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insisted the former midfielder will take charge of Manchester United in future. Carrick has been in charge of Middlesbrough since October, and has led the club up the table and into a coveted play off spot, with just three matches standing in their way of reaching the Premier League. The former Manchester United midfielder has taken charge previously at Old Trafford, albeit briefly, when he succeeded Solskjaer on a temporary basis, for just three matches. He oversaw victories over Arsenal and Villarreal before stepping down following the appointment of Ralf Rangnick in December 2021. Solskjaer heaped high praise on Carrick, noting his calm demeanour, reflective nature and meticulous over details as crucial for his successes as manager and believe he will take the reigns at Old Trafford one day, if the 41 year old desires. Carrick took charge of Middlesbrough in October 2022 and has guided the club to fourth place in the Championship and a position in the play-offs, arguably exceeding similar exploits of those he once called England teammates in Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard. His exploits with the Championship club have largely gone under the radar, for someone who spent 12 years at Manchester United and made 34 England appearances. Chris Wilder was unceremoniously sacked on 3 October after the club suffered five defeats in the first 11 games of the Championship campaign, with the prospects of promotion far from anyone’s hopes. Few then could have predicted Middlesbrough’s almost meteoric rise up the table, from just one point above the relegation zone to within touching distance of the riches of the Premier League. It was Carrick’s first permanent managerial position, but he had learned his trade as part of Jose Mourinho and Solskjaer’s coaching staff and has impressed in the north east. His time on the Tees saw Boro secure 15 wins from his first 20 matches, but they have trailed off slightly recently, with just two wins from their last seven games, ahead of a play-off meeting with Coventry, who have spent just 17 days in the promotion places this campaign. Should Carrick lead Boro into the Premier League he will have exceeded all expectations when he took over the role. While Carrick never received the same focus as the Liverpool and Chelsea midfielders as a player, he has also gone under the radar when it comes to management, while Lampard and Gerrard’s managerial campaigns have received significantly more media attention. Gerrard had some success at Rangers, and led the club to their first top-flight title in over 10 years, before leaving in November 2021 to take charge of Aston Villa, where he lasted less than a year. Since his sacking and the appointment of Unai Emery, Villa are now on the cusp of Europe. Lampard is currently employed on his second spell at Chelsea following a disastrous time at Everton and before that, Chelsea. He took charge of his former club from July 2019 to January 2021 but was sacked, and recently returned only in a temporary position to see the club through to the end of the campaign. However, neither Gerrard, Lampard nor Carrick have yet managed successfully in the top flight, although the former United midfielder will be looking to change that, with the first leg of the play-offs at Coventry on 14 May. Read More When are the play-offs? Coventry City aiming to come full circle after journey to hell and back A tiny ground and a squad costing less than a Man City sub. How are Luton within reach of the Premier League? From Netflix embarrassment to the Premier League? Sunderland seek to leave chaos behind A closer look at this season’s play-off contenders as promotion battle resumes Everton have their edge back at the right time in relegation battle – Sean Dyche Jurgen Klopp happy Liverpool ‘could show up a little bit’ before end of season

Promotion places are still to be decided in the Football League as the ever-entertaining play-offs begin. Four teams in the Championship, League One and League Two will bid to finish the season strongly as they vie to be elevated to the next tier. Wembley will again host all three play-off finals across the late May bank holiday weekend. But to get to those showpiece dates, the 12 remaining clubs in contention for promotion will have to survive two-legged semi-finals that always seem to deliver drama. Here’s everything you need to know: When are the play-offs? The play-offs begin on 12 May with the first leg of the League One semi-finals, and conclude with the third tier’s final at Wembley on Monday 29 May. Who has qualified for the play-offs? In the Championship, the teams who finished third, fourth, fifth and sixth will compete for the final promotion place to the Premier League. They are: Luton, Middlesbrough, Coventry and Sunderland. In League One, it is the finishers in that same spread from third to sixth: Sheffield Wednesday, Barnsley, Bolton and Peterborough. League Two, meanwhile, awards an extra automatic promotion place, meaning the fourth to seventh-placed clubs progress to the play-offs: Stockport County, Carlisle United, Bradford City and Salford City are the quartet. How can I watch it? All of the play-off action will be live for viewers in the United Kingdom on Sky Sports. Subscribers can stream every game via the Sky Go app. If you’re not a Sky customer you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription. Championship play-off schedule: Semi-final first legs: Saturday 13 May, 5.30pm BST: Sunderland vs Luton (Stadium of Light, Sunderland) Sunday 14 May, 12pm BST: Coventry vs Middlesbrough (Coventry Building Society Arena) Second legs: Tuesday 16 May, 8pm BST: Luton vs Sunderland (Kenilworth Road, Luton) Wednesday 17 May 8pm BST: Middlesbrough vs Coventry (Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough) Final: Saturday 27 May, 4.45pm BST League One play-off schedule Semi-final first legs: Friday 12 May, 8pm BST: Peterborough vs Sheffield Wednesday (London Road, Peterborough) Saturday 13 May, 3pm BST: Bolton vs Barnsley (University of Bolton Stadium) Second legs: Thursday 18 May, 8pm BST: Sheffield Wednesday vs Peterborough (Hillsborough, Sheffield) Friday 19 May, 8pm BST: Barnsley vs Bolton (Oakwell, Barnsley) Final: Monday 29 May, 3pm BST League Two play-off schedule Semi-final first legs: Saturday 13 May, 7.45pm BST: Salford City vs Stockport County (Moor Lane, Salford) Sunday 14 May, 7pm BST: Bradford vs Carlisle (Valley Parade, Bradford) Second legs: Saturday 20 May, 12.30pm BST: Stockport County vs Salford City (Edgeley Park, Stockport) Saturday 20 May, 3pm BST: Carlisle United vs Bradford City (Brunton Park, Carlisle) Final: Sunday 28 May, 1.30pm BST Read More Vincent Kompany planning ‘smart’ recruitment for promoted Burnley EFL clubs agree record £935million broadcast deal with Sky Sports Milan derby creates thrilling sensory overload that shows how football should be On this day in 2013: Wigan celebrate FA Cup win with shock victory over Man City A closer look at this season’s play-off contenders as promotion battle resumes Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney join jubilant fans as Wrexham enjoy promotion party

LONDON (Reuters) -Willian and Tom Cairney both scored twice to help Fulham beat Leicester City 5-3 at home on Monday,

Follow live coverage as Fulham face Leicester in the Premier League today. Relegation-battling Leicester made two changes for the trip to Fulham. Dean Smith brought in Victor Kristiansen for Luke Thomas and Dennis Praet for Wilfred Ndidi as the Foxes looked to move three points clear of danger. Harrison Reed and Kenny Tete came back into Fulham's starting line-up as Cedric Soares and Sasa Lukic dropped to the bench. We will bring you all the action and updates from today's game in the live blog below: Read More Premier League top-four race: Remaining fixtures and how each club can qualify for the Champions League Six clubs, only three survive: Who can escape the great Premier League relegation fight?