Middlesbrough v West Brom: Michael Carrick insists January transfer window plans are 'in place'

Michael Carrick could be without as many as 14 players for the visit of the Baggies, after a midweek Carabao Cup fixture compounded fitness problems.

Isaiah Jones, Matt Crooks, Morgan Rogers and Emmanuel Latte Lath were all added to the list of injury doubts in the victory over Port Vale, while Rav van den Berg was missing from the squad entirely.

With the January window right around the corner, many fans will be mulling over the possibility of new additions. Carrick has claimed plans for the window are in place, but also said players returning from injuries can be like new signings.

He said: “In some ways, it will feel like we’ve got a few new signings coming back in and around the group over the next few weeks, which will give everyone a big boost. Hopefully, that’ll give us the chance to have a real big push between now and the end of the season.

"There’s definitely plans in place [for January]. They’re evolving all the time. There’s been plans for quite some time but situations change. Sometimes it’s out of our hands, sometimes it’s our ideas that change a little bit for whatever reason.

"There’s certainly plans in place and work going on to see what the best move is for us, if any. Sometimes, it needs to be exactly the right thing for us. There’s a lot of things that need to go on for it to get over the line.”

When asked whether January would involve tweaks rather than an influx, Carrick replied: “Yeah, probably, but it’s difficult to say. It depends what pops up.

"Sometimes, you get things that you might not always expect thrown at you or the opportunities, or vice versa, if someone comes knocking on your door, which is hopefully not the case.”