News Update: Michael Carrick delivers Middlesbrough transfer message

•  Middlesbrough boss Carrick won’t be swayed by injuries when it comes to January transfer plans.
•  The team’s current injuries won’t dramatically change the club’s plans, according to Carrick.
•  Despite missing key defenders, Carrick remains confident in the balance and quality of the squad.

Michael Carrick has explained how injuries won’t impact Middlesbrough’s January transfer plans.

Boro are currently without a number of key defenders, with Tommy Smith and Darragh Lenihan sent for lengthy spells on the sidelines, and Dael Fry also out of action.

The team has struggled to maintain their competitiveness from last season, in which they finished in the table, with the side now outside of the play-off places.

However, the winter market offers the club the chance to make improvements to the first team squad for the second half of the campaign.

Middlesbrough made good use of the January window in the previous campaign, so could do so again next month.

Carrick explains Middlesbrough’s January plans

Carrick has not ruled out making January additions when the window opens at the turn of the year.

However, the Boro boss has warned that injuries won’t necessarily cause the club to dip into the market.

“I think you have to be careful with the injuries,” said Carrick, via The Northern Echo.

“Yeah, certainly at this moment in time we are missing quite a few but we’re hoping by the time the window comes around we’ll have a good few of them back.

“Just because you lose a player for a number of weeks or a couple of months doesn’t mean you need to get one in.

“That’s always the balance anyway, so I don’t think it dramatically changes our plans.

“It’s just unfortunate when you have got a lot of injuries that it is outside the window and it is probably typical that everyone is back come January.

“Anything can happen.

“We’ll prepare as well as we feel we can for different scenarios and balance within the squad and I think to be honest the balance and quality of the teams we’ve been able to put out considering we’ve had seven, eight, nine, 10 players missing is credit to the

squad and the calibre of player we have.

“But it is impossible to know what’s going to happen in the next few weeks.

“Hopefully we’ll have more to choose from in January but I have absolutely no problems with who is available now.

“We have a good team and good balance and I’m still looking forward to the games ahead.”

Middlesbrough league position

Middlesbrough are currently 12th in the Championship table, three points adrift of the play-off places.

Next up for the Teesside outfit is a clash with Ipswich Town on Saturday.

Last year’s January moves

Mddlesbrough were quite effective in the 2023 January window, bringing in Cameron Archer and Aaron Ramsey to the first team squad.

The Aston Villa loanees had a major impact on the team’s attacking options, and played a key role in bringing the club into the play-off places.

Boro will need to strengthen January again if they are to maintain competitiveness with their rivals.

The injury situation shouldn’t cause the club to panic, but defensive reinforcement should still be sought given their absences.