Paddy McNair, Hayden Hackney: The Middlesbrough FC transfer dilemmas that Carrick faces next month | OneFootball

Highlights

Middlesbrough will be hoping for a successful start to 2024 next month, as the club continue to compete on two fronts.

Michael Carrick's side are still in the hunt for a Championship play-off in league business, while they are now also preparing for a two-legged semi-final with Chelsea in the League Cup.

The club will therefore be hoping to enjoy a productive period in the January transfer window, just as they did back in the summer, to help them remain competitive in both league and cup.

However, there will be some issues in the market they may have to navigate, if they are to do just that.

So here, we've taken a look at three dilemmas that may be facing Michael Carrick at Middlesbrough, ahead of the January transfer window.

McNair contract situation puts pressure on centre back hunt

Having joined the club back in the summer of 2018, Paddy McNair has been a regular for 'Boro for some time now, although that could soon be about to come to an end.

As things stand, the Northern Ireland international is out of contract at The Riverside Stadium at the end of this season, meaning the January transfer window could be their last chance to cash in on him, which may make potential offers hard to refuse.

Should that be the case and Middlesbrough do sell McNair, it will may make their own search for a new centre back - which has seen them linked with the likes of Joe Worrall from Nottingham Forest and Leeds United's Charlie Cresswell - even more important in order to maintain enough depth in that position, with Darragh Lenihan ruled out for the rest of the season due to injury.

Having come through the youth ranks at Middlesbrough, Hackney is now a consistent performer for the Championship club's first-team, while he is also becoming a more regular feature for England at underage level.

That already appears to be attracting attention from elsewhere, with reports from The Daily Mail claiming that Premier League sides such as Liverpool, Tottenham and the two Manchester club are all watching the midfielder, while Nottingham Forest are considering a bid for him in January.

Should those moves develop, the funds top-flight clubs can offer mean 'Boro may have a battle on their hands to keep Hackney, in what would be a big blow to the club if they were to lose such a useful player, who could be a long-term asset, at such an early stage of his career.

Upcoming international competitions look as though they could be an issue for Boro. Attacking midfield duo Riley McGree and Sam Silvera have named in Australia's squad for the Asia Cup, while first choice goalkeeper Seny Dieng will feature for defending champions Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations.

With both teams aiming to go far in their respective tournaments, that will leave Carrick unable to call upon some key players for several games over a lengthy period, reducing the depth available to his squad, although they will still be back well before the season.

That therefore, could leave Middlesbrough with a tricky decision to make over whether or not to sign players to fill those voids in the short-term, who may then not be needed once the trio return, or to gamble on the rest of their current squad to cope in their absence, during what looks set to be a busy period for Carrick's side.