“Won’t be back any time soon…” - Michael Carrick confirms Middlesbrough injury setback | OneFootball

Highlights

Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick has revealed that Lewis O’Brien is set for a relatively lengthy spell out, although they still don’t know just how bad his injury is.

Middlesbrough continue to climb the Championship table

After a dismal start to the campaign, Boro, who were tipped by many to be in the mix for promotion this season, have now won three on the bounce, including a relatively comfortable 2-0 success over Cardiff City last night.

It seems as though Carrick has started to find the right formula, and the many new recruits are beginning to settle.

So, there are positive signs for Boro moving forward, and they will hope to make it four successive wins when they take on rivals Sunderland this weekend, in what will be a tough game.

Michael Carrick confirms Lewis O’Brien injury blow

However, it’s not all good news for the Teesside outfit, as they had to do without O’Brien last night, with the on-loan Nottingham Forest man having been forced off in the win at Watford over the weekend.

Carrick didn’t know the full extent of O’Brien’s injury after the fixture at Vicarage Road, even if he was very concerned, and whilst he stated to the Northern Echo that they are still awaiting more information, he did explain that he won’t be available in the short-term.

“He won't be back anytime soon. It will be a good few weeks, if not longer. He has specialists and surgeons to see, so we'll keep you updated.”

How big a blow is this for Middlesbrough?

Firstly, the team showed against Cardiff that they still have quality, and the pleasing thing about Boro right now is that they have strength in depth across several key positions, so they aren’t reliant on a few individuals, as they may have been previously.

But, there’s no denying that this a big problem for Carrick, as O’Brien had been a good performer for Boro since he signed. Plus, he had shown his versatility, as he featured in different positions, and he brought a lot to the side with his energy and quality on the ball.

So, it’s a setback, but the one positive is that the international break is coming up, which means there is a two-week break without a game. Furthermore, there’s another one in November, so he may not miss as many games compared to if this injury had happened in a month or two.

What next for Middlesbrough?

The overall mood around Middlesbrough is a positive one now, with three successive wins, and, perhaps more importantly, performances to suggest they are starting to rediscover their high standards from last season.

There had been pressure building on Boro in the past few weeks, so Carrick will be relieved that his side have turned their corner, but he knows that they need to do more.

Now, attention turns to the trip to Sunderland, which will be a huge challenge, but Boro will be confident, and if they do get another three points, then they will feel they really are back on track.