MICHAEL CARRICK insists Middlesbrough will not be entering the transfer market this month in order to secure a “quick fix” to their problems.

Boro head into January saddled with a number of long-term injury issues that will continue to limit their selection options in the second half of the season. Tommy Smith and Darragh Lenihan have both ruled out of the remainder of the campaign, while Marcus Forss is still struggling with the thigh problem that has sidelined him since mid-October.

To compound their problems, Boro will also be without Seny Dieng, Riley McGree and Sammy Silvera for around a month because of their international commitments at the Africa Cup of Nations and Asia Cup.

With the transfer window now open, Carrick could push for a couple of short-term loans to plug the gaps in his squad. However, Boro’s approach over the last year or so has been to focus on the long term when it comes to making signings, and the head coach does not want that to change this month.

“It’s got to fit,” said Carrick, ahead of this afternoon’s opening game of 2024 at home to Coventry City. “It’s not a ‘knee-jerk’ and not one because we have got an injury here or an injury there.

“It’s for the bigger picture, really and it wouldn’t be a quick fix until the end of the season. It’s got to fit into the plan, and it is what it is.”

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Nevertheless, if Boro are to be making signings this month, Carrick would ideally like any new faces to arrive sooner rather than later.

“If we are looking to do something, we want to try and get it done as quickly as we can,” he said. “Of course we do for, different reasons.

“We understand how it works. It is not always in our hands and not always straightforward, so there’s a bit of patience about it. But for sure, if we are trying to do something, we’d like to get it done sooner rather than later.”