Lenihan was in the Middlesbrough squad at Sheffield Wednesday for the first time since October 2023, with the centre-back having endured a string of injury setbacks in that time.
Having last featured for Boro early last season, Lenihan initially required surgery on an ankle injury. He returned to action in pre-season last summer and scored in a friendly at Gateshead, only to then suffer a further setback and hadn’t been at all involved this term prior to his inclusion on the bench at Hillsborough on Monday.
Carrick was delighted to get Lenihan back involved but admits it’s going to be difficult to get the former Blackburn defender on the pitch before the end of the season.
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Boro only have two games of the regular season to play and the stakes are high with Carrick’s side still in with a shout of finishing in the top six.
And the head coach isn’t short of options at the back. Dael Fry and George Edmundson are both back fit after their recent injuries but have had to settle for a place on the bench, with Jonny Howson, who has impressed playing out of position in the defence, keeping his spot in the side.
Lenihan still has one year to run on his current contract, which is due to expire next summer. And Carrick hopes the 31-year-old’s injury woes are now behind him.
He said: “It’s massive for Darragh,
“He deserves it. He still has a bit to go in terms of being totally ready, but to have him back in the group after all he’s done, how hard he’s worked, the ups and downs he’s had to go through over such a long period of time, it’s fantastic to have him back and he deserves to be back.
“Hopefully that’s it now and it’s onwards and upwards for him.
“He’s been out an awfully long time so it’s going to be difficult to get him gametime anywhere at this stage of the season.
“It’s about doing some more training and taking step by step, we certainly won’t push him but it’s just nice to have him back in and around the group.”
