Michael Carrick is hoping Neto Borges's new role can help Middlesbrough both in attack and defence - though exactly how he plays is likely to be flexible depending on which forward is playing ahead of him.

In Boro's last two, the Boro left-back has noticeably inverted into central positions a lot more often. That's as opposed to the more common instruction for the left-back role under Carrick where they've been tasked with exploiting the space in the wide area created by the in-field drifting of the left-sided forward.

But with Delano Burgzorg occupying that role in recent games and looking better suited to attacking the wide areas than the Brazilian, Carrick opted to change things up - with the last two games highlighting two different sides to the role change that can be advantageous to Boro moving forward as he gets more used to the switch in tactical plan.

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Carrick explained: “It’s all about little changes we look to make to improve. It depends on who is playing as well of course. At the minutes, Della is playing well from a wider position, so it’s a bit of a variation. There is loads of that goes on over the course of a season, some which are more noticeable than others.

"We’ve had success with that change - certainly against Sheffield Wednesday we had success with that - Neto set up the goal for Finn [Azaz], which was a nice move. It’s something we’re constantly trying to tweak and move forward as a team.

“There are different reasons why we do it. Sometimes it’s to attack, sometimes it’s to be stronger on the transition because we have an extra body in the middle of the pitch to deal with it, if and when we lose the ball. There are all sorts of different reasons, and it’s all about trying to find that right balance. It’s an ongoing thing.”

The switch comes after recent defensive struggles in which Boro have been exploited defensively, particularly on the transition because of the amount they commit to attack. In a far more defensively disciplined display against Burnley, the back three when in possession which was occupied far more commonly first season in charge was as clear as it's been for some time.

In turn, rather than attack the wide areas, Borges tended to tuck inside as Boro attacked, creating an extra passing option in a deep-lying central area, while bolstering the central lines of defence against the counter if and when Boro lost possession when on the attack.

Whether he contines to make such movements will likely depend a lot on opposition and, more so, who plays ahead of him in any given game. Boro's main competition for Burgzorg in the left-sided forward role is Riley McGree who, rather than a traditional wide player, is far more suited to Carrick's orginal free-roaming forward ideal.