Morgan Whittaker could make his Middlesbrough debut on Monday evening against Sunderland, and there will be keen intrigue to see exactly how Michael Carrick integrates him into the side.

An initial £5 million signing from Plymouth Argyle, he represents a big capture for Boro this month as they beat off the interest of Burnley to land the exciting 24-year-old forward, who’s netted 24 goals in the last 18 months. Predominantly a right-sided forward though, where exactly will he fit in this current Boro side?

There’s a sense of striking at the opportune moment as far as Whittaker’s arrival this month is concerned. A long-term target for Boro, he was available in this window as Plymouth needed the funds to reinvest in their own squad, and therefore it was now or never.

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Though Boro sold Isaiah Jones earlier in the window, in truth, they didn’t need another right winger per se. Marcus Forss is back fit while Ben Doak, who has nailed down the position so far this season, is now definitely staying until the end of the campaign.

In the longer term then, expect Whittaker to be Doak’s replacement when the Scotland international makes his inevitable return to Liverpool. Until then, however, Boro have the luxury of both attacking stars, and the interesting thing for Michael Carrick is how he will get the best out of both at the same time.

“We’re excited and a big fan of Morgan, which is why we made such an effort to bring him here,” the Boro boss said. “We know what he can do and what his attributes are. What’s to come, how we can help him improve and produce even more, is what’s exciting.

“We’ve got good forward players and that’s proven with the amount of chances and goals we’ve created over the course of the season. We’ve got good variety, good flexibility and players who can play with each other in different positions. We feel like that’s a really strong part of our group at the moment.

“He’s flexible. He can play wide, but he can also play inside the pitch. He’s obviously got a fantastic left foot and has used it to score a lot of fantastic goals, and goals that have decided games. That’s something that we’re excited to have within the team.

“In those games that are tight and we maybe need something a bit different or special, he’s certainly got that. He’s flexible and fitting in, he’ll play different positions and have different roles comfortably, which was part of the attraction.”

That’s a factor not to be snuffed at. We’ve spoke endless times this season about Boro’s lack of a plan B when they struggle to break teams down. While Doak is an old-school winger who beats his man down the line before looking for the cutback from the byline, Whittaker will play the right wing entirely different.

Predominantly left footed, he likes to come inside and has an eye for a long-range screamer. In that sense, having alternative options can be an asset to Boro in those tight games where they’re struggling for their breakthrough.

Given the quality of both though, you’re likely to want both on the pitch at the same time as much as possible. In that sense, the versatility Boro’s forwards are blessed with can come in useful.

Whittaker can also play as a ten and given how Carrick likes his left-sided forward to roam inside too, he could perceivably be used in that role too. Though he’s never quite enjoyed the same success, Finn Azaz has also played that left-sided role in a Boro shirt. Perhaps the confidence of his recent form and the reunion with Whittaker could help him have future success in that role, allowing Whittaker to play at ten. Having received plenty of attention from defenders recently, the switch could even prove helpful to Azaz.

Doak has also played on the left - both for Scotland and, only briefly so far, for Boro. There’s no reason Boro can’t be really interchangeable with their forward line - potentially even in-game at times - as a means of being less predictable than they’ve at times been this term.

Of course, all of that is only considering three of Boro’s talented attacking line-up. Delano Burgzorg is in fine form of late and though he may have to cover up top on Monday, he’ll not be wanting to surrender his left-sided role in a hurry. Riley McGree continues to suffer from injury frustration but will also hope to return and have a major impact before the end of the season. The aforementioned Forss will be hoping he can finally get his campaign going too.

It’s certainly a good problem for Carrick to have, but a problem nonetheless. He’s been provided with a rich array of attacking talent in his Boro squad. Now he must make sure he finds a way to get the best out of them to ensure they don’t throw away their top-six opportunity.