Michael Carrick has suggested Middlesbrough will try to re-sign George Edmundson this month if a deal is viable, after Ipswich Town recalled him from his loan on Tuesday.

Edmundson had impressed in the first half of the season while on loan at Boro. So much so that Boro were trying to negotiate a deal with the Tractor Boys to sign the defender permanently this month.

However, with no fee agreed and a deadline to activate a loan recall clause this week, Ipswich took the decision to recall the 27-year-old.That’s despite the fact that the centre-back is out of contract in the summer, unable to join any other club this month due to already playing for both Ipswich and Boro this season, and that he seemingly does not feature in head coach Kieran McKenna’s plans.

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Asked about Edmundson’s Boro exit and whether they might still be able to negotiate a deal for him to return to the Riverside before the end of the transfer window, Carrick said: “We knew it was a possibility. We didn't know when it might come.

“The ball was in their court in terms of that situation. What happens next, we'll have to wait and see. It's not long happened so we'll explore what happens next. It's something we'll look at for sure. George has done well but it needs to be right for all parties so we'll see how that goes.”

The recall decision will come as a blow to the defender, who struggled for game-time in the last two seasons at Portman Road. He made 21 appearances for Boro in the first half of the campaign and was set to be an important player for the run in.

What made the Ipswich decision even worse is that it came on Tuesday afternoon, just hours before Boro played a crucial Championship game against top-six rivals West Brom. In Edmundson’s absence, Boro managed to win the game 2-0.

Asked if there was any frustration in Ipswich’s decision so close to a match, the Boro boss continued: “We were aware of it and we knew it was a possibility. It’s the case with a lot of loans that there is a cut off point before the deadline.

“We knew it was a possibility before tonight and we planned for the game with that in mind, so it didn’t affect preparation for the game too much. We knew it was a possibility so he wasn’t going to start tonight’s game anyway, just in case. It is what it is. Sometimes you’re fully in control, sometimes you’re not and you’ve got to adapt.”

Given how well he’d settled on Teesside and became an important player for Boro, both on the pitch and in the dressing room, Edmundson would have fair reason to be extremely frustrated by Ipswich’s decision.

But asked about Edmundson's thoughts and whether he would want to sign for Boro this month, Carrick said: “He enjoyed it. I think it's wrong of me to speak for George, but he's loved it here, he's played a lot of football and he's been an important part of what we've done. It's been an important experience for him.

“I have spoken to him since it happened. Again, I can’t speak for him in terms of how he feels about the decision, but he had a real positive experience here and we’ll just have to see what happens next.”