CHUBA AKPOM will once again be missing from Middlesbrough’s starting line-up when they line up against Coventry City on Saturday lunchtime.

Akpom has been the subject of intensive transfer speculation this week, with Boro turning down an £8m bid from Lens for last season’s leading goalscorer.

The 27-year-old has entered the final year of his current contract on Teesside, with Sheffield United and Ajax also understood to be preparing formal offers for his services.

Sheffield United need a new forward to replace Iliman Ndiaye, who joined Marseille in a £20m move earlier this month, while Ajax need attacking reinforcements as they currently only have one senior centre-forward on their books.

Having missed the whole of the pre-season programme with a knee injury that was carried over from last season, Akpom was an unused substitute as Boro lost their opening game of the campaign against Millwall last weekend, and like fellow injury returnee Josh Coburn, the forward will once again be a substitute at best at the CBS Arena.

“They (Akpom and Coburn) won’t start this weekend,” said Carrick. “They’ve not had enough training, to be honest. They’ve both missed quite a lot so we’re building it up.

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“It’s not the time of year to be pushing, pushing, pushing. If it was the end of the season, the last game, then it would be different. But with it being the first game of the season, it’s a very different situation. Nevertheless, they’re pushing hard to be fit as soon as they possibly can.”

Akpom’s long-term future remains extremely uncertain, with Boro anticipating further approaches before the transfer window closes at the end of next month.

From a purely footballing perspective, Carrick will be understandably loath to lose last season’s talisman, whose performances in the ‘number ten’ role were a major factor in the club’s finishing position in the top six.

However, if Akpom is not going to sign a new contract on terms that work for everyone, there is an obvious incentive to sell for the best possible price to ensure the forward does not reach the January window with his future still undetermined.

Steve Gibson, Neil Bausor and Kieran Scott are all involved in the ongoing discussions over Akpom, with Carrick also having a major input.

“It’s a club decision,” said the head coach. “That’s the same with any decision really, we’re all in it together. Regardless of who it’s about, that’s the way we work, and it’s always about what’s best for the first-team squad. That’s the key consideration all the time, and I’m involved in that decision. That’s kind of how it works.”

Asked directly whether he had been told that Akpom would have to leave this month, he said: “I’ve not been told that.”

Alex Gilbert should return to the squad against Coventry after missing out on Tuesday’s Carabao Cup game because of a hand injury, but Tommy Smith and Anfernee Dijksteel remain unavailable.

“He (Gilbert) should be in and around it again,” said Carrick. “He’s had a few scans, and we’re hoping that it’s not as bad as it could have been.

“At the moment, we’re still waiting, but we’re hopeful that he’ll be in and around it for the weekend. But they (Smith and Dijksteel) will be a little bit further away.”