Michael Carrick admits he is not yet certain if Darragh Lenihan or Tommy Smith will play again this season - which could have transfer implications for Middlesbrough this month.

Boro entered the January transfer window with a squad of 25 players, meaning players had to be de-registered if new signings were to arrive. With Isaiah Jones being sold to Luton Town, they now have one free spot.

However, clubs can take players out of their squad this month even if they remain at the club, with Alex Bangura not included in Boro’s 25 this season due to having a long-term Achilles injury. And as Boro plot potential incoming signs this month and are potentially about to profit a considerable sum from the sale of Emmanuel Latte Lath - taking Smith and Lenihan out of their squad this month if they are unlikely to be back could free up two more spaces for new additions, albeit while adding to an already sizeable wage bill.

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On Smith and Lenihan’s injuries, Carrick said: “We'll just have to wait and see [if they’re back before the end of the season]. They're still a little bit further. They've had a couple of little setbacks both of them in terms of their rehab. It's not anytime over the next month or so.

“For Tommy and Darragh it's been particularly difficult for them to be out for so long. We all hope everyone is fit and on the pitch and if players get injured it's just a small one. But some are bigger than others. We're obviously doing everything we can to support them.”

The injuries of both came early last season after both had been mainstays in Carrick’s Boro side since the head coach’s arrival. The two defenders were both crucial in helping guide Boro to a play-off spot in 2023.

Smith suffered an Achilles injury which required surgery and is out of contract at Boro at the end of the season. He admitted recently he was desperate to get back playing, realising time is running out on his playing career at 32.

Lenihan, meanwhile, initially suffered an ankle injury that required surgery. He was expected to be back this season and returned in the summer and played a couple of pre-season friendlies. However, his recovery has been hit by persistent setbacks, with Carrick revealing last year he’d been suffering with Achilles tendonitis.

Another player on the long-term injury list for Boro is Bangura. Having spent so much of his first season at the club on the sidelines, he suffered an Achilles injury early in pre-season and is expected to miss the majority if not all of this season. A decision will have to be made at some point this month on his return and whether it warrants registering him in the squad for the second half of the season.

On the Sierra Leone international’s recovery, Carrick said: “Alex is really positive. It was always a long term one. He's taken his steps through his recovery and rehab and fingers crossed it's going well for him.”