Mick McCarthy - the man who turned George Elokobi into a Premier League footballer - can’t speak highly enough of the new Maidstone United boss.

McCarthy took Elokobi to Wolves from Colchester in 2008 and together they won the Championship title and promotion to the top flight of English football a year later.

The former Republic of Ireland boss is thrilled to see his old defender break into management at the Gallagher Stadium.

Elokobi inherited a difficult situation and has been unable to prevent relegation back to National League South.

But McCarthy, who’s managed more than 1,000 games in his long career, told KentOnline: “You only get the job when it’s a difficult situation.

“I wish him well. He was terrific for me and we still keep in touch. I always speak to him.

“He’ll ring me up and he’s a genuinely good guy. I couldn’t hope anybody else does any better than him. I’m delighted he’s got that job.”

McCarthy, now in charge at Blackpool, led Ireland to the last 16 of the 2002 World Cup and also won the Championship title with Sunderland.

There can be few better sounding boards than the 64-year-old as Elokobi cuts his teeth in management.

McCarthy tends to refrain from offering managers advice in public but said: “The only thing is to try and keep an even keel when you’re winning and when you’re losing.

“It’s easy to get carried away when you’re winning and it’s easy to be in the depths of despair when you’re losing.

“Try to be level all the way through. That’s my advice.

“Everyone’s got their own ideas and I say that from somebody who, when I first got the job, it was getting on top of me and I was becoming a real grizzly at home, so I know from experience how it affects you.

“Win, lose or draw, when you come in on a Monday morning, you’ve got to be exactly the same and you’ve got to be the same with everybody else, I believe.

“Or at least try. It’ll beat you up otherwise.”

McCarthy soon saw Elokobi’s determination to fight for what he believed in when he arrived at Wolves for transfer talks.

The deal was going nowhere fast until the pair thrashed it out between them.

The Cameroonian would go on to become an iconic figure at Molineux as Wolves won promotion, cementing his status when he scored against Manchester United in a 2-1 Premier League victory.

“He just wanted to come and play but he wanted to be looked after fairly,” recalled McCarthy.

“He wasn’t looking for the earth, moon and stars but he didn’t think he was getting looked after fairly and I’d probably agree with him. We sorted it out between us and he signed.

“He was just a real great, humble lad who wanted to come and play football. I loved that about him.

“We gave him a chance and he took it with both hands.

“He trained like he played, he put everything into it and gave his lot. He was one of our success stories in a nice success story that we had at Wolves.

“It wasn’t too bad to score against Man United, coming from Colchester to a team that he had to fight his way to get into. It was a great story.

“He was just an all-round great guy. He did everything for the team. He was all about the team.

“He loved his football, he wanted to learn.

“He was a bit of a sponge. He took everything in, especially from me and TC (assistant boss Terry Connor).”

Elokobi’s traits as a player suggested he may one day go into management.

It’s not always easy to tell but, on reflection, McCarthy isn’t surprised to see the 37-year-old in the dugout.

“Some players have an opinion and they’ve got no interest in coaching but George just took it all in because he wanted to get better, he wanted to improve,” said McCarthy.

“When he came to Wolves he wasn’t a top Championship player or Premier League player by any stretch but he improved along with a lot of other lads who came in, the young and hungry ones, and did really well.

“He had potential and he fulfilled it and so I guess somebody like that who took a real interest in himself and doing better, yes, I could see that type in him.

“He’d do anything to improve and he’s a good guy, a straightforward guy, which I always like.”

McCarthy famously described fitness fanatic Elokobi as his body double when the left-back gatecrashed a post-match interview after Wolves secured a third year of Premier League football.

You don’t mess with Big George but there was one occasion when McCarthy had to step in.

“I know he kicked off in training one day and I had to try and hold him back,” he said. “He hasn’t got a short fuse, George, so when he does lose it, he loses it.

“It would have been carnage if I’d allowed him to get involved. I was standing between him and the other protagonist and thankfully he resisted because if he’d wanted to shift me out of the way he could have done.”