Michael Carrick believes Middlesbrough’s busy January transfer window is a statement of intent from the club - even if he went as close as he has to admitting top two was out of reach.

Boro have made four signings in this transfer window, although one was securing the permanent signing of George Edmundson after a successful loan spell from Ipswich Town. On top of the Ryan Giles, Morgan Whittaker and Mark Travers deals, Boro are now also close to securing the loan captures of Kelechi Iheanacho and Samuel Iling-Junior from Sevilla and Aston Villa respectively.

Moving in the other direction, Boro have sold Isaiah Jones and Matt Clarke, while Emmanuel Latte Lath is on the verge of an exit to Atlanta United. There is interest in Anfernee Dijksteel and Dan Barlaser too, but neither would be allowed to leave unless replacements are found. All in all, it makes for one busy window, particularly by January’s usual standards.

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Asked if that showed Boro’s intent this season, Carrick said: “It shows we’re pushing and want to keep improving. We’re never satisfied, and we’re certainly not quite satisfied with where we are at the moment. We want to keep pushing. I think it does show our intent.

"The boys within the group are hungry for more, are pushing each other and get frustrated as much as anyone at times. That’s a good sign. We know it’s in us. It’s certainly eyes up at what’s ahead of us and looking at how we can get better. Sometimes that on the training pitches, sometimes that’s game to game, sometimes that’s transfer windows and trying to improve the squad.

“There’s always an element after a transfer window closes when you kind of know ‘this is what’s ahead of us.’ The staff have a real, clear focus. There’s been a little bit of change but it doesn’t necessarily feel like that in-house. It feels calm, there’s a spring in the step, excitement. The boys have a freshness. Having the new boys come in gives everyone a natural boost. There's excitement.”

Boro’s busy January comes after a real push in the summer transfer window ahead of what they believed would be a real opportunity this season to push for promotion back to the Premier League after an eight-year absence. Hopes of a top-two finish haven’t quite panned out though.

With games taking place over the weekend ahead of Boro’s clash with Sunderland on Monday evening, Carrick’s side dropped to seventh in the league table, but can leapfrog Blackburn and West Brom back up to fifth, providing they claim all three points against their North East rivals. However, even if they beat Sunderland, that will still leave them 14 points off second-placed Sheffield United - who they visit next Wednesday.

On top-two aspirations, the Boro boss admitted: “Automatic is a bit further away, it's pretty obvious, we all know that. We need to be near our best most weeks. Ultimately we can’t control the top two, it’s a long way off, teams have to drop quite a few points, that’s not in our control.

“We can control how many points we get and what we put into a performance. Does that mean we have to win [against Sunderland]? I think we definitely want to win it and we'll do everything we can. It's an important game for many reasons and we're well aware of that.

“The end of the season is going to take care of itself, let's take this game for what it is, commit to it and give it everything we can. It's a special game to be part of. There's another nine days before our next game [against Sheffield United]. We're all in for this game and looking forward to it.”

The current league position, and manner of the season, has led to much frustration. A good side on their day capable of competing with almost every side in the division, Boro’s biggest Achilles heel has been themselves. Mistakes, soft goals and being unable to break down low-block defences have ultimately cost Boro dearly at various points throughout the campaign.

“I think what we have achieved at certain times in certain games almost gives you that taste of what we could be or should be,” Carrick assessed. “So when you don’t quite hit that, you end up a little bit disappointed. If we hadn’t had those highs, if we were on the way up without having hit those heights, it’d be seen as a positive being sixth.

“[The trajectory] It feels disappointing, but I take it as a real positive that we know what we can produce. We’re certainly capable of doing it, it’s about putting it into practice. We feel that we’ve given points away in games we should have won. It comes down to consistency. That’s the challenging part. But it’s clear why we are where we are. We could be lower, we could definitely be higher. What’s potentially there for us, it’s the bit that really encourages me.”