MICHAEL CARRICK feels a degree of future transfer uncertainty is a price worth paying if it means Middlesbrough can field the likes of Zack Steffen and Ryan Giles in their starting line-up this season.

Both Steffen and Giles are on season-long loans from Premier League employers, and while Boro would ideally like to keep the duo no matter what league they find themselves playing in next season, things are unlikely to be that simple.

Manchester City are unlikely to be keen to sell Steffen, and even if they were, Boro would struggle to get anywhere close to the wages the American is currently receiving at the Etihad. Wolves are yet to make a final decision over Giles’ long-term future, but if they opt to cash in on the full-back, Boro are likely to face stiff competition in the battle to secure his services on a permanent basis.

Such uncertainty is an inevitable consequence of loaning players rather than buying them, but with Steffen and Giles having been among the top-performing Championship players in their respective positions all season, Carrick is a firm believer in the value of Premier League loans.

“There’s always a balance,” said the Boro boss, ahead of this afternoon’s game at Swansea City. “There’s a balance between what players are available and what kind of player you want.

“Some clubs are happy to take loans, some prefer to have their own players. It’s always the balance of what’s available, how much quality is there, and what position is it that we need?

“If you look at the boys that have been mentioned (Steffen and Giles), then they’ve both had terrific seasons and are playing very well, so it’s great to have them.”

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With Cameron Archer and Aaron Ramsey also on loan from Aston Villa, Boro are having to plan for their summer transfer business with an acceptance that they might have to replace four key members of the current squad before they are really adding to what they currently have.

Again, that is an inevitable consequence of utilising the loan market, and Carrick is confident it will not have a detrimental effect on Boro’s squad-building plans for the close season.

“That’s the challenge you have all the time,” he said. “That evolution of players being out of contract, players leaving at the end of loans – it’s an ongoing thing.

“We’re constantly trying to find the right solutions, and timing is important on a lot of these things. Then, where you are in leagues is a big part of that too because players naturally want to play for certain clubs in certain leagues.

“There are so many factors that come into that. We’re obviously trying to striker the right balance with that as we plan for the summer, and we will have a clear plan heading into the summer transfer window, as we did with January, and we’ll make the most of it.”

Clearly, Boro’s summer business will be heavily dependent on what league they find themselves in come the start of August, and today’s game at the Swansea.com Stadium represents the next step on the club’s push towards promotion.

The Swans are sitting in 17th position in the table, with Russell Martin’s job as manager coming under increasing pressure, but Boro have a dreadful recent record at Swansea, with their last seven away games having failed to produce a victory.

“I’m not really one for looking at past records,” said Carrick. “Teams change that much season to season, in terms of managers, players and style of play, so history of results for certain teams at certain grounds, I don’t look into that so much.

“We understand we’re going there to play against a good team, that really test you and like to play a certain way. They’re good at what they do, and we’ll respect that.”

Middlesbrough (probable, 4-2-3-1): Steffen; Smith, Fry, Lenihan, Giles; Howson, Hackney; Forss, Akpom, McGree; Archer.