Middlesbrough FC ponder loan keeper recall in January - which could have implications for Barnsley FC

Loan keeper Liam Roberts, currently at Oakwell on a season-long loan from Middlesbrough. Picture courtesy of Barnsley FC.

MIDDLESBROUGH head coach Michael Carrick says that recalling one of the club's loaned-out goalkeepers is an option in January - with their players currently out at other clubs including Barnsley’s Liam Roberts.

Boro are likely to lose current number one Seny Dieng to African Cup of Nations duty at the start of the new year with the ex-QPR player almost certain to be named in the Senegal squad for the Africa Cup of Nations that will be staged in Ivory Coast and Guinea-Bissau.

Second-choice keeper Tom Glover is also expected to be named in the Australian squad for the Asia Cup in Qatar, which starts a day before the African competition in mid-January.

Boro could elect take the option to recall a loan keeper. Roberts joined the Reds on a season-long loan in the summer, while Sol Brynn is at another out at a League One side in Leyton Orient, with Zach Hemming is currently in Scotland with St Mirren.

Roberts is currently out with a finger injury following surgery in October.

But should he return to the side in the near-future, he could represent an option to be recalled, with the 29-year-old being the senior keeper among the three.

Boro have another keeper on their books in Jamie Jones, but he is yet to play this term.

On the prospect of recalling a loanee, Boro chief Michael Carrick said: "(Recalling loanees) is one of the options we have, although there is all sorts of thinking that goes into that. You have to consider each individual as well.

"Of course, what’s best for us and what we need as a team is important. But there is a big element of each situation and what’s best for the individual, which might not be pulling them back because we need them.

"They’ve got their development to think about, so it’s not as easy as just, 'Let’s get every goalkeeper back that we’ve got’. There’s an awful lot goes into that thought process, and when we make the decision, we’ll try to make sure that it’s the best one for everyone."