Michael Carrick showed his true character with Marcelo Bielsa question to Luke Ayling

Luke Ayling quickly realised how humble Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick is when joining the club from Leeds United in January.

Ayling initially joined Boro on loan, ending an eight-year spell at Leeds to make the move after a lack of game-time at Elland Road. Having impressed, the veteran right-back made his move to the Riverside a permanent one in the summer and he continues to be an influential part of Carrick's squad.

Offering insight on what it's like to play under the Boro boss though, Carrick's questions to Ayling summed up his character and left the 33-year-old amazed, given that as a player he'd spent years at the very top.

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Making an appearance on the My Mate's a Footballer podcast, Ayling said: “You would never even think that he played football. He never speaks about it. There was once and even then, he felt embarrassed saying it. Something happened, and he related it to when he played.

"But if you didn’t know, you wouldn’t even realise until he gets the ball in training. He’s always got a ball with him to chuck one back in. It’s kind of that feeling when Rapha [Raphinha] first came in at Leeds and when he’d pass the ball it just sounded different to when any other player did it. The gaffer, he’ll get the ball to his feet even now and just whip one in between and it’s like, ‘oh my god’. Immense.

"But the thing I found amazing, when I first arrived, he was like asking me what stuff Leeds do, how Marcelo [Bielsa] was coaching, if there was anything they could do to make things better. I was like, that’s quite amazing. He’s been at the top and worked with arguably the best manager to ever work in the game, won all these trophies and yet he’s still wanting to learn and still asking me. I just thought that was amazing. I’ve been there nine months now and I love working with him and learning from him.”

Ayling was guesting on the podcast because it's co-hosted by his former Leeds team-mate and ex-Boro striker Patrick Bamford. Before Ayling joined, fellow host Joe Wilkinson asked Bamford why Ayling is known as Bill - a name he's still referred to at Boro as well.

Bamford explained: “When he was coming through at Arsenal there was two boys called Luke - him and Luke Freeman. So they started calling him Bill and that’s what he’s always been.”