Michael Carrick offered encouragement to Jonny Howson as he recalled memories of his own injury struggles towards the end of his career at Manchester United.

Howson, who will turn 37 in May, has had a difficult season to date thanks to injuries. He suffered a hamstring issue in just the second game of the season at Leeds United in the cup and after being out for over two months, he made just nine appearances before suffering a calf issue that’s kept him out since Christmas.

Though he’s now close to another return, as a player in the twilight years of his playing career would be frustrating enough. Add to that the fact that, with a good injury record, the captain has been in Boro’s top three for minutes played in four of the last five seasons, it compounds the frustration for Howson.

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“It’s challenging for him,” Carrick said. “I don’t really like talking about myself, but I understand it because I was there and have gone through exactly what Jonny is going through at the moment. Towards the later stages of your career, it’s frustrating to miss out through injury.

“Especially for someone like Jonny who does everything he possibly can to get the best out of himself and give him the best possible chance of staying fit. Football is tough at times and throws things back at you. Over this spell, it’s been a tough one for Jonny. But he’s on his way back and he’s doing everything he can to get back and have a big finish to the season.”

That, for Carrick, is key. Still playing at such a high level at 36, it’s a testament to the work Howson does away from match-days that allows him to enjoy incredible longevity. The good news for Boro is that, as he pushes for his return, Carrick still sees that fire inside the midfielder.

“I think there is an element of you can do what you can do,” Carrick continued. “You can’t be too harsh on yourself. You can give your best but, for whatever reason, football can throw up things. It’s kind of new for Jonny, and it was for me too because neither of us had a lot of injuries throughout our career. That’s a positive.

“You can only do what you can do ultimately though. He does that and he’s an unbelievable example to any player in terms of how you construct a career, how you have longevity in football and how you still play at the age he’s at now.

“That doesn’t just come naturally, there is a lot of work has to go into that. He’s still working and still has that fire and spirit to push for a comeback. We’re hoping he’ll be fit again soon.”