MICHAEL CARRICK admits Lewis O’Brien is not necessarily a long-term fix in Middlesbrough’s troublesome left-back spot, but is confident the Nottingham Forest loanee’s footballing abilities mean he can more than handle playing in the position.

Having lost Ryan Giles at the end of last season’s loan spell, Boro have struggled to fill the left-back void in the opening month-and-a-half of the campaign.

Lukas Engel, a summer signing from Silkeborg, has struggled to cope with the demands of the Championship, while Alex Bangura, another summer arrival from Dutch side Cambuur, sustained a hamstring injury on his debut. Hayden Coulson, who played at left-back in pre-season, is clearly out of favour given that he was not even in the squad for yesterday’s win over Southampton.

O’Brien, who has spent almost all of his career playing as a central-midfielder, slotted in at left-back against the Saints, and delivered a composed and effective display that combined defensive solidity with a welcome desire to get forward down the flank.

While Michael Carrick could opt to make changes for Tuesday’s Carabao Cup game at Bradford, there is every chance O’Brien could be back at left-back for next weekend’s league game at Watford, even if the Boro boss concedes it is not really the 24-year-old’s preferred position.

“He’s not been here long, Lewis, but he’s already played in a few different roles,” said Carrick. “I am conscious of that, and he’s not naturally that position (left-back), but I thought he suited the position for how we wanted to play in this game.

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“He’s a terrific character, and he just wants to be on the pitch. He’ll play anywhere, wherever you want him to. It’s not always easy to get that from a player who’s coming in from another club.

“It can sometimes be hard to get them to commit that much. If they’re coming in on loan, their attitude can sometimes be, ‘I don’t play there, I’m not that type of player’. There’s not a chance of anything like that from Lewis. He’s bought into it and is willing to do anything for the success of the team.”

Yesterday’s victory was Boro’s first league success of the season, with Carrick always having been confident that results would begin to turn.

“I always knew it was going to come at some point,” he said. “Relief? For me, it was more about just seeing the players and backroom staff get the rewards they deserved for all the effort they’ve put in and sticking together. It was rewarding for me to see that.”