Michael Carrick has spoken to the media ahead of Middlesbrough vs Preston North End.
Boro are back in Championship action on Saturday, September 14th, in a 3pm kick-off at the Riverside Stadium.
Middlesbrough face Preston North End and are looking to continue their unbeaten start to the season on home soil.
The Teessiders have won two, drawn one and lost one of their four Championship fixtures so far this campaign and sit seventh in the league table going into the latest round of games.
| Position | Team | PlayedMP | WonW | DrawnD | LostL | ForGF | AgainstGA | DiffGD | PointsPts |
| 5 |  BlackburnBlackburn | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 8 |
| 6 |  BurnleyBurnley | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 7 |
| 7 |  MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
| 8 |  Sheff UtdSheffield Utd | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 9 |  Oxford UnitedOxford United | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 6 |
Paul Heckingbottom’s men, on the other hand, are just outside the relegation zone after garnering three points from their first four games of 2024/25.
As a result, a win for Middlesbrough was already expected this weekend and an update from Carrick on Thursday should further boost Boro’s chances of picking up three points against Preston.
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Michael Carrick provides Middlesbrough injury update
Much like the 2023/24 season, Middlesbrough began the current campaign with a major injury crisis.
10 players missed the meeting with Portsmouth in mid-August but a couple of names have since worked their way back to fitness.
Law McCabe returned to action before the international break and speaking live at his press conference on Thursday, Carrick has now confirmed that Riley McGree and Marcus Forss are back training.
Saturday’s clash will come too soon for Forss, though, while Jonny Howson and Rav van den Berg are still sidelined.
He said: “Riley’s back, Marcus is back training with us but it’s very early stages. He’s [Forss] not fully back in but he’s in around the group and taking a little bit of time to get up to speed but nevertheless, it’s great to have him back on the grass with us.
“Jonny and Rav are not far off but not quite there but apart from that, we’re in good shape.”
Will Riley McGree start for Middlesbrough vs Preston North End
McGree endured a difficult 2023/24 campaign with injury and international commitments limiting his game time at club level.
The Australian worked his way back into Carrick’s thinking during pre-season, however, and started the opening weekend win over Swansea City.
But after his most recent injury, summer signing Delano Burgzorg has stepped up to replace McGree on the left wing.
The Dutchman has shown patches of quality but struggled last time out when played through the middle against Cardiff.
Now, with McGree back fit, it is likely Burgzorg will be relegated back to the bench with Carrick expected to favour the more consistent, defensively sound 25-year-old on the left.