Boro won the battle to sign in-demand Doak on loan from Liverpool last summer and the teenager flourished at the Riverside.
He was one of the Championship’s stand-out players in the first half of the season and has established himself in Steve Clarke’s Scotland side.
But his fine campaign was halted by a thigh injury in January and the winger eventually needed minor surgery after the issue proved to be more problematic than first anticipated.
Doak is now back at Liverpool receiving treatment and Carrick said last week it remains unclear whether the 19-year-old will feature again for Boro this season.
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He’s been a big miss over the course of the last couple of months, but Carrick still thinks Boro will be able to benefit from Doak’s success come this summer’s transfer window.
Doak, like Morgan Rogers and Emmanuel Latte Lath before him, progressed quickly and impressively at the Riverside, which Boro chiefs believe will add to their armoury when they look to strengthen their squad in what looks set to be a busy summer window.
“We’ve done alright with bringing players in and trying to improve,” says Carrick.
“We want to use that going forward to continue improving the team. Hopefully the success of players like Ben and Morgan will have an impact.
“We like to sign young players to develop them, whether that’s permanent or on loan, if it’s the right fit. We’ve got to make sure it works for us as well and makes us stronger.
“There’s definitely two sides to it, but I do enjoy helping the boys and developing them, seeing them grow and becoming better players. Hopefully most of the time that is with us.”
Boro and Liverpool remain in close contact over Doak, with the winger’s parent club providing updates on his recovery and rehab post-surgery.
Doak’s last game for Boro came at Preston in January. Carrick’s side have eight games to play in the regular season. Doak would be eligible to feature in the play-offs should Boro finish in the top six, but it would be down to Liverpool to decide whether they felt the winger was ready to play and if they were willing to sanction his involvement on the back of a lay-off.
Carrick said: “He’s had a really good time here, Ben.
“It was a good fit from the start, in terms of his position and how we played. The way he receives the ball and how he wants it, I think it was just a good fit.
“You can see he has improved a lot as a player as well, and had success with Scotland. So I think that side of things, he’s definitely developed and it’s been a good experience for him. We’ll see what’s next for him. Hopefully we can get him back, but we’ll just have to see.”
