MICHAEL CARRICK is calling on the help of Wayne Rooney to help claim derby bragging rights.
The Middlesbrough boss takes his side 31 miles up the A19 on Saturday to face North East rivals Sunderland.
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The Stadium of Light holds both painful and fond memories for Carrick after leading Boro to a 4-0 win there last year.
He was also part of the Manchester United side that suffered title agony on the final day of the 2012 Premier League campaign there.
Rooney secured the Red Devils a 1-0 victory, but Sergio Aguero’s famous last-ditch strike took the title to the Cityzens from United’s clutches.
As news of City’s winner spread amongst the ground and the United players on the pitch, the home supporters went berserk with delight and even performed a ‘Poznan’.
Rooney has since spoken of his bemusement and anger towards Sunderland fans for doing that.
The England legend got some revenge last week when his Plymouth beat the Black Cats 3-2 courtesy of a 93rd-minute effort from Joe Edwards.
That was his first Championship win since taking over the Pilgrims and it also brought an abrupt end to Sunderland’s 100 per cent start.
Now Carrick has confirmed that Rooney has been helping him to secure Wear-Tees bragging rights.
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He said: “We’ve exchanged a couple of messages and I’ll speak to him more at some point.
“It was a big result for them, so I was pleased for Wayne. It was an important result for them.
“In terms of what we take from it, Sunderland have largely been consistent in the games they’ve played and you can see how they’re trying to play – the patterns and consistencies within the game.
“We’ve got a decent idea of how they approach things, but it doesn’t mean that makes it any easier to play against.”
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