ALEX GILBERT is set to be more heavily involved in the final two games of Middlesbrough's season, with Michael Carrick having been impressed by the youngster’s response to his limited game-time for much of the campaign.

Gilbert joined Boro from Brentford’s B team last summer, but while the 22-year-old was always regarded as a senior signing, he has had to bide his time waiting for a chance to establish himself in Carrick’s first-team ranks.

He only made five Championship substitute appearances before the middle of March, but he has come off the bench in four of Boro’s last six matches, claiming assists against Southampton and Leeds.

“Certainly, this season, Alex wanted to play football, and he’s been desperate for more minutes on the pitch,” said Carrick. “He’s had to be patient and he’s trained well. He’s had to learn a lot as well, and credit to him for how he’s gone about it.

“He’s had a good impact for us recently and will be looking to finish the season on a high. He’s definitely moving in the right direction in terms of improving all the time.

“It’s great when it comes easy, but sometimes you have challenges you have to overcome and you find you learn and develop a lot more because of that. He’s certainly showed that. He’s one over the next couple of games that we will definitely try to get involved.”

READ MORE:

Boro’s penultimate game of the campaign takes them to south Wales tomorrow to face a Cardiff side who also have nothing significant to play for in the remainder of the season.

Carrick handed a debut to Ajay Matthews in the dying seconds of Monday’s defeat to Leeds, and the youngster is likely to be back on the bench against the Bluebirds.

Law McCabe and Charlie Lennon will also hope to feature in the squad at the Cardiff City Stadium, having been unused substitutes at the start of the week, but Carrick remains adamant he will not be handing out first-team appearances just for the sake of it.

“There’s definitely a balance to strike,” he said. “We want to play to win and finish the season strong. We’re on a good wave at the moment that we need to keep surfing. But there is certainly a balance.

“We’ve got players in the squad, or in and around it in training, who are waiting for that opportunity. We’ve got young players who maybe deserve that chance. That’s part of the decisions we have to make, but it certainly doesn’t mean we’re taking our eyes of the result and wanting to win the game. That’s the balance we’ve got to strike.”

Hayden Hackney and Josh Coburn are not expected to feature, with Carrick having conceded that the duo are unlikely to play again this season. Luke Ayling and Sam Greenwood are both back available though, having been ineligible against Leeds.

Middlesbrough (probable, 4-2-3-1): Dieng; Ayling, van den Berg, Clarke, Engel; Howson, O’Brien; Jones, Azaz, Greenwood; Latte Lath.