MICHAEL CARRICK admits he is having to nurse Josh Coburn through the current run of Middlesbrough games, with the striker suffering from a minor injury issue.

Eyebrows were raised at the weekend when Coburn remained as an unused substitute despite Boro failing to seriously trouble the Ipswich Town defence as they crashed to a 2-0 defeat at the Riverside.

While Sammy Silvera and Alex Bangura came onto the field as second-half replacements, Coburn remained on the bench with Emmanuel Latte Lath playing the full 90 minutes.

However, while the 21-year-old was deemed fit enough to be part of the matchday squad, Carrick has revealed Coburn’s injury situation means he only wanted to use him in an absolute emergency at the weekend.

“Josh has been struggling a little bit with a knock recently, and there’s a little bit of having to look after him as well,” said the Boro boss, who will have to decide whether or not to promote Coburn back into the starting line-up for tomorrow’s home game with Hull City. “He’s feeling a couple of niggles, and we’ve got to look after him.

“There’s been a little bit of that factored in over the last two or three games really. It’s a long season, and it will be a long career for Josh, so there is no way that I would run him into the ground.”

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Coburn only turned 21 last week, and while he broke into the first-team squad under Neil Warnock three seasons ago, he was used relatively sparingly during his first two years as a senior player.

He was a fairly regular starter with Bristol Rovers last season, but that was in League One so this is his first full season as an established first-team player in the Championship. As a result, Carrick wants to ensure he does not push him too hard even though his alternative attacking options are fairly limited.

“He’s a young lad, and it’s a big thing playing for your club when you’ve come through the academy,” he said. “He’s had a lot to take on physically, and played a lot of games over a short period of time.”

Boro return to action against Hull tomorrow looking for an immediate response to Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Ipswich. That loss followed a win over league leaders Leicester City in their previous home game, and Carrick admits a lack of consistency is currently his side’s biggest weakness.

“It’s fine margins to be honest,” he said. “I think some of the times we’ve won games, we’ve probably played worse than when we’ve won games. That’s just football.

“Consistency in terms of the level of performance is key. If we can get that consistency, then that’s what’s going to give us the best chance. I think we’ve been pretty consistent throughout really. I think it’s really been momentary lapses that have cost us at certain times.

“Again, on Saturday, it was pretty much three shots on target, and we find ourselves 2-0 down. It’s something we need to put right. We keep talking about it. Consistency is key, and that’s the magic ingredient that we’re all striving for.”

Carrick was speaking at yesterday's MFC Foundation’s Champion Children’s Christmas Party, which saw around 50 nominated families invited to the Riverside.

“The beauty of football is what football clubs can do,” he said. “The club affects so many people in different ways. Sometimes, it’s on the pitch, with good results or not-so-good results, sometimes it’s days like today when the players and myself can turn up and put smiles on some children’s faces.

“That’s football, and the impact it can have, and we’ve all got to play our part. It’s really important, especially at this time of year.

“Throughout the year, the players and myself are trying to be as active as we can, for the club, the fans and the local community. It’s so important. This is what the club is and what it’s built on.”