Michael Carrick will come up against one of his closest pals in Wayne Rooney this weekend as Middlesbrough travel to Devon to take on Plymouth Argyle.

Looking for a victory which would guarantee Boro spend Christmas in the Championship top six, it's business for usual for Carrick despite the obvious strange feeling of trying to get one over his friend and yet more pressure to the fellow Manchester United legend, whose Plymouth side are without a win in six games heading into this one.

Not the first time they've come up against one another, Carrick was victorious at the Riverside last season as Rooney took charge of Birmingham City for the first time of what proved an ill-fated spell at St Andrew's. With the novelty of it therefore out the way, Carrick is merely looking forward to seeing Rooney - though he admits they see as much of each other now as they did when Old Trafford team-mates due to their sons Kai and Jacey being part of the same Manchester United youth team.

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"They’ve had it since they were six," Carrick said of the two under-15s. "So it’s just too old men standing on the sideline, it’s normal. It’ll be nice to see him, but I see him quite a bit actually and speak to him. Last season, with it being the first time, probably took a little bit of getting used to standing on the sideline together but we’ve kind of moved on from that novelty stage.

"We are both there to do a job and we know that it’s a tough place to go. There’s massive respect, we’ve come through a lot together and are friends, but it is what it is."

Rooney and Carrick have remained close friends since their playing careers came to an end. Since becoming managers, they've both helped one another at times too - with Rooney offering expert opinions on Lewis O'Brien before Boro signed him last season, while Carrick also picked his brains earlier this season ahead of the clash at Sunderland, with Rooney victorious over the Wearsiders just before Boro's trip.

Has there been any contact this week though? "No, no," Carrick says. "There’s that kind of understanding that we both have a job to do and we’ll catch up after the game. And we’ll catch up soon again watching our sons. I see more of him from doing that than I do any other time."

Friendships will have to be put to one side for the 90 minutes at least. Boro need the three points at Home Park to continue their push in the Championship promotion race. Rooney, meanwhile, is under pressure after no wins in six - though their home form is strong and they've lost only two of nine at Home Park this term.

On the pressure Rooney faces, Carrick said: "Their home form has been pretty good, actually, and they’ve had some really good results. I think they’ve only lost a couple at home. They are a real tough team to crack at home and that’s what’s on our minds going down there, expecting that.

"Obviously results are results, we all have them where you have some good ones and then you have some bad ones, or ones you wouldn’t wish for, that’s the way it is. I watched them against Sheffield United and thought that they were particularly good and very unlucky not to get something from the game.

"I think that they’ve got some players back and as a team they are looking stronger and we are certainly under no illusions of what they are capable of."