Carrick said it was “unlikely” that any of Dael Fry, Rav van den Berg or George Edmundson will be fit to return at Kenilworth Road. And, with a two week international break following Saturday’s game, Carrick questioned whether it would be worth risking any of his centre-halves if they were in contention to return this weekend.
Instead, Carrick is likely to continue with Howson and Borges, who impressed in the heart of the Boro defence in the midweek win over Queens Park Rangers.
Howson came through his first start since December unscathed, while Borges has been in excellent form over the past month or so.
“We’ll have to see (on the injured centre-backs but it looks unlikely at the moment,” said Carrick ahead of Saturday’s game.
“But we’re not totally writing it off. We have a couple of days yet, so we’ll have to see.
“I thought Jonny and Neto did particularly well, to be honest, and Neto did well at Swansea as well. That’s where we’re at as it stands. We’re still hopeful, but we’ll see what the next couple of days brings.”
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Van den Berg is out with a knee problem, Edmundson ankle and Fry calf, while Luke Ayling is also sidelined having suffered an ankle injury in the win over Derby earlier this month.
Asked who was closest to return, Carrick said: “Well, between them, we’re trying to work out who is closest. We’ll see how it goes. “We’ve got the break after this game as well and there is still plenty to play for in the season.
“There is a decision both ways to be made: if they are close to being ready, do we push it or not? We’re giving it a chance. We’ve got a couple of days and we’ll see what we decide by Saturday.
“We do hope that by the end of the break and by the time we play the next one after that, we’ll have a stronger squad to choose from.
“We’ll use the next couple of weeks as best as we possibly can. But that’s not overlooking this game on Saturday, by any stretch. It’s an important game for us.
“But there are a lot of games coming up that are important for us. So getting that balance right is key.”
