Michael Carrick was pleased to be able to talk positively on the topic of players available to him as he prepares his side for the big away test against Millwall.
Despite losing two more players during the Carabao Cup semi-final clash with Chelsea, Carrick; addressing the club’s media, spoke about having four additional faces join the group in training.
Boro lost Emannuel Latte Lath and Alex Bangura to injury inside twenty minutes on Tuesday evening, but the arrival of Luke Ayling on loan from rivals Leeds United, and the transfer of Finn Azaz from Aston Villa has eased concerns of what Carrick recently described as a ‘decimated’ squad to select from. The club also now have Marcus Forss and Lewis O’Brien back training and available, which is a huge boost moving forward.
Carrick boosted by players’ return
Explaining the current situation in terms of injuries, Carrick said, “Marcus is training, yeah, we have got Lewis (O’Brien), Marcus, Finn has been added to the group and Luke (Ayling), so, I feel like we have had a bit of a boost.
“We have lost a couple more with Alex and Manu, but nevertheless, it’s good to have the boys in and around the training group and they trained well today.”
In the case of Marcus Forss, it is particularly pleasing as he offers such a direct goal threat. He has played on the right-hand side since Carrick’s arrival last season, but it did not stop him hitting the goal trail, as he amassed the reputable tally of 10 goals from midfield. The Finnish dangerman could become available just at the right time, with Isaiah Jones having played a lot of successive games and in danger of being over-utilised.
Forss, originally a striker of course, could offer Boro another solution in attack. Latte Lath looks to have sustained an injury that means he is unlikely to be available for at least a number of weeks. That leaves Josh Coburn, a player Carrick has always been keen to carefully ‘manage’ in terms of workload and expectation, the only fit, senior number nine in the squad.
Carrick could turn to Finnish hot-shot
Forss could undertake that striker role if required. Boro’s Head Coach prefers to use Forss’ direct approach from the right, but he could equally do a job up front and is one of those players who loves to shoot on sight. In fact, according to stats website FotMob, he is one of the most prolific players in the Championship in terms of shots at goal per 90 minutes. He averages 5.76 shots per game, with 1.83 registering on target.
A lot will depend on what the club want to explore in the transfer market. They may not want to buy or loan for the sake of it and go with what we have. It is a risky tactic if they continue to endure injuries like they have done so far.
In addition to the four players who have joined Boro’s training group, Carrick also has Sam Greenwood and Morgan Rogers back in contention for the trip to London, after they were both unavailable for the Chelsea match. Carrick also revealed that Anfernee Dijksteel is not too far away and could be back in around ten days’ time. That puts him in contention for the return leg with Chelsea.