Middlesbrough: Michael Carrick issues concerning double update after Sheff Wed draw | OneFootball

The Boro boss is fearing the worst over the injury sustained to goalkeeper Sol Brynn...

Middlesbrough head coach Michael Carrick appears to be fearing the worst after striker Tommy Conway and goalkeeper Sol Brynn were both withdrawn through injury in Boro's shambolic Boxing Day draw with Sheffield Wednesday.

The Teessiders took a three-goal lead into half-time thanks to a Ben Doak header after five minutes, before a Finn Azaz double on 15 and 30 minutes respectively had Carrick's side firmly on track for a big three points.

However, come the 61st minute of the game, Sheffield Wednesday had levelled the score at 3-3, and if that wasn't bad enough for Middlesbrough, centre-back Rav van den Berg had been shown a second yellow card and backup keeper Tom Glover had to be drafted in to replace the injured Brynn.

That wasn't the first major injury concern that Carrick had to contend with on Thursday afternoon, as Conway had to be withdrawn after nine minutes with a hamstring problem, on what turned out to be a festive fixture to remember for all the wrong reasons from a Middlesbrough perspective.

Injuries to key players is something Carrick has become familiar with during his time in charge of Middlesbrough, and Boxing Day's draw with Sheffield Wednesday may have dealt a knockout blow to Boro's goalkeeping department.

Speaking via The Northern Echo post-match, Carrick gave a worrisome update on the club's injury situation. He said: "Tommy (Conway) felt his hamstring a little bit at the start, so we took him off straight away.

"We’re not sure yet on how serious that will be. Neto’s (Borges) was more fatigue, cramp, really, so that shouldn’t be serious. But Sol (Brynn) looks like it was a bad one with his shoulder. I'm not sure (if it dislocated) but it looked a bad one.

"I’m bitterly disappointed for him (Brynn) having to come off. He's done terrific when he's played so it would be a disappointment if he had to miss any games."

Handing out a further update on some of Middlesbrough's other injury-stricken stars ahead of Boro's clash with Burnley on Sunday,

Carrick stated: "George (Edmundson) and Jonny (Howson) both picked up niggles in training, so we’ll have to see over the next few days in training whether they’ll be back for the next game or not. Neither should be long-term or serious.

"For Burnley, Aidan (Morris) and Seny (Dieng) still won't be available but Luke (Ayling) might. We’ll see how he gets on ahead of Sunday.”

Judging from Carrick's comments, further examinations will have to take place to fully understand the extent of the injuries suffered to Conway and Brynn, and he'll be desperate to hear good news.

With Seny Dieng ruled out for Boro's upcoming clash with the Clarets, should Brynn be unable to play, it would mean that third-choice keeper Tom Glover will have to start.

That would also mean that an academy prospect would surely have to make the bench, with The Northern Echo reporting that in that event, teenager Shea Connor would be promoted to the matchday squad to occupy that role.

Brynn has been highly impressive since stepping in to replace Dieng as Middlesbrough's starting goalkeeper in late November, and appeared to be on his way to nudging the Senegalese international out of the number one role entirely.

As for Conway, although it looks to have been a precautionary measure taken by Carrick to bring him off at the first sign of a potential issue, hamstring problems can linger around, and the Boro boss must be absolutely certain his striker is good to go without any risk of further aggravating it.

Should the Scottish international's injury be worse than first feared, that could throw the potential January transfer window plans of Emmanuel Latte Lath into major doubt.

The Ivorian international has been strongly linked with a winter move to West Ham United in recent weeks, but Middlesbrough's chiefs would surely have to reconsider any potential sale should Conway be forced to miss a significant amount of time.

Away from transfer plans possibly being changed, any extended injury absences now would come at a highly frustrating time for Boro, as Carrick's side are firmly in the middle of one of the most pivotal periods of the season.

Middlesbrough have struggled massively with consistency from one result to the next so far this term, and with the club now sitting outside the play-off places, the Teessiders need to find a way to stitch wins together.

That task would undoubtedly be made even more testing should they be forced to do so without two more of their key assets in Brynn and Conway.