Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick has given an update on the injuries to players at the club, with the news that the clash with Birmingham might come to soon for one player in particular.
Head coach Carrick was asked during his press conference on the club website, about the availability of Rav van den Berg, Alex Bangura, Matt Clarke and Riley McGree as the club prepare for the visit of Wayne Rooney’s Birmingham City to the Riverside this weekend.
Riley McGree limped off during the game against Cardiff, missing the thumping 4-0 demolition of Sunderland and the Aussie international also pulled out of the Socceroos squad.
Asked about the state of play with McGree, Carrick said, “With Riley, we’re hopeful, I think we will have to see how the game goes, it’s probably-if i’m honest-too soon for this game, we’ll just see when he’s ready to come back”.
It would be a shame for McGree to miss out facing his old club, he would want to be given the opportunity to show them how much he has improved as a player since leaving in 2021.
On the other candidates’ level of fitness he added, “Rav’s (Rav van den Berg) trained, or been around the group I should say, so, whether the game comes too quick or not, we’ll have to wait and see, but he is kind of on his way back.
“We will have to be patient with Clarkey, he’s been out for a period of time, he is training with us now, it’s just taking it step-by-step.”
Bangura to play a part in coming games
In the case of Alex Bangura, it seems that despite starting ahead of Lukas Engel for his debut against Blackburn, he will now have to win that place back following some impressive displays from the Danish left-back who stepped back into the first eleven following injuries to Bangura and Lewis O’Brien.
“He’s trained well Alex, he had a set-back with his injury after the Blackburn game, which is unfortunate, but part of it, but he has settled in fine, he is looking forward to playing, he’s training well, so he’ll obviously play a part in the games coming up.”
Michael Carrick could even be contemplating giving both men starts as the games come thick and fast again, with weekend and midweek games scheduled for the coming weeks.
There is genuine competition for places all over the pitch again as the form of certain players has improved alongside some of the excellent results of late.
Decisions will be made over the centre-back pairing with McNair coming in from the cold and playing very well with Dael Fry, contributing to three clean sheets in four games and deputising well in the absence of Lenihan. Greenwood is giving us glimpses of the player he can become moving forward in the role on the left whilst McGree is out and Isaiah Jones is looking unplayable and currently undroppable, despite the threat of Marcus Forss looming from the bench.
It points to a healthy state of play as Boro head into a busy period of games. Competition for places can only spur the squad on to improve individually, which in turn will help the team collectively.