HAD the Championship season started when Michael Carrick took charge, Middlesbrough would be second in the table having amassed 50 points from the 22 games since the change of head coach.

Only Burnley have picked up more points - 51 - though they've only played 20 games in that period.

Since Carrick's arrival, however, no team in the Championship has scored more goals than Boro, who have hit the net 50 times in 22 outings.

For a team that had only managed to score 19 goals in 16 games before that - four of which came in the win over Wigan under Leo Percovich - it's a quite remarkable transformation of the forward line.

Carrick quickly got a tune out of his forward players. Moving Chuba Akpom to No.10 was an absolute masterstroke, and shifting Marcus Forss from up-front to the right flank was another switch that nobody saw coming but has worked a treat. On the left, Riley McGree has flourished in a role where he's encouraged to roam.

And the two Aston Villa arrivals have made huge impacts. Aaron Ramsey offers something different down the right while Cameron Archer may well turn out to be the Championship's best January signing.

Archer has established himself as Boro's first choice striker, but the fit-again Matt Crooks offers the head coach something different, even if it's from the the bench. It's the versatility of his forward players that has allowed Carrick to implement his vision for the attack.

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And the head coach loves the fact his forwards see themselves as one attacking unit rather than four individuals.

He says: “Versatility is important and it’s great to have those various options up the top of the pitch that allows us to be flexible.

"The other part of that is the connections they all have with each and the appreciation for what each other brings. They work for each other - it’s not just four individuals doing their own things.

"There is a really good connection with whoever plays, and that’s the biggest thing for me that I love to see, when they’re working with each other and bringing out the best in each other.”