MICHAEL CARRICK has admitted he named Chuba Akpom and Josh Coburn on the bench for Middlesbrough’s home defeat to Millwall yesterday because he wanted to reintegrate them into the squad even though they weren’t ready to make an impact on the pitch.

Akpom and Coburn were both unused substitutes as Boro lost 1-0 on the opening day of the season, with Jonny Howson coming on for the final ten minutes at the Riverside.

None of the three players had featured during Boro’s pre-season programme, with injuries restricting their ability to train in the last month.

Neither Akpom nor Coburn were ready to come on to the field yesterday, but given he was able to name nine substitutes after the EFL changed their rules, Carrick nevertheless felt that selecting them in the squad was a worthwhile exercise.

The Boro boss said: “The three of them have hardly had any time on the grass. Jonny was a little bit ahead because he had an extra day or two. It was a bit of a calculated one in terms of gauging what we could get out of Jonny.

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“I was just keen to get all three of them in and around the group, and we had nine subs so we knew we still had options to cover all eventualities. I was just keen to make them a part of it, so that was the thought behind that.”

Carrick was understandably disappointed at his side’s defeat, and conceded they were not quite at the levels he would ordinarily expect from them.

He said: “It’s disappointing. We came here to try to win the game, but the first game of the season, you sometimes don’t really know what to expect.

“I thought we were just a little bit off it really. We didn’t quite have that spark and sharpness, and that extra invention that I know we are capable of. It’s disappointing, but it is what it is and we know we will get better.”