A Middlesbrough player has been sent a clear message by Michael Carrick after Stoke.
Boro’s latest fixture saw them return to the Riverside Stadium on August 27th for a meeting with Stoke City.
Middlesbrough beat Leeds United 3-0 in the first round of the League Cup, ending a six-year wait for a win against the Peacocks in any competition.
Michael Carrick will have been hoping to repeat that excellent display on Tuesday evening as he looked to take Boro deep into the League Cup – the only competition they have ever won in the club’s history.
With an injury crisis ongoing on Teesside, there were, as was to be expected, a plethora of changes to the Reds’ starting line-up.
Micah Hamilton, George McCormick and Harley Hunt were all handed their first competitive starts for the club in what was a makeshift Middlesbrough eleven.
Michael Carrick decision could be bad news Tom Glover
The rest of the Boro team on Tuesday was largely made up of fringe players, with Matt Clarke and Luke Ayling the only stars keeping their place from the weekend’s draw with Portsmouth.
Despite this, there was still no room in the line-up for goalkeeper Tom Glover.
Seny Dieng remains the number one option on Teesside, while the battle for the number two spot was expected to be a hotly contested affair between the Australian and former academy product, Sol Brynn.
However, despite the latter’s limited experience in a Boro shirt, Carrick has clearly made Brynn the backup to Dieng.
He has started in both of Middlesbrough’s League Cup outings this season, with Glover now third-choice and yet to see a minute of action in 2024/25.
Glover is an Australian international but may now lose his place for his country if he does not play any club football this season.
Will Middlesbrough sell Tom Glover before August 30th
Glover signed for Middlesbrough on a free transfer last summer and was dubbed ‘fantastic’ by Melbourne City coach Rado Vidosic, as per A-League, ahead of the move.
However, his time in England has not really gone to plan. The keeper did not perform during a brief spell as the number one option in the previous campaign.
And after once again being left out in the cup, it is clear Carrick has no real plan for him going forward and a move this week would be best for all parties.
Boro News understands that Dan Barlaser and Glover could leave Middlesbrough ahead of deadline day.
Barlaser remains a useful rotation option for the club but Glover can now be easily replaced with another third-choice keeper.