Carrick on 'freshness' and Smith retirement
- Published
Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick has been speaking to BBC Radio Tees ahead of their trip to Sheffield United on Wednesday (20:00 GMT).
Here are the key lines:
There are no additional injuries to the squad that lost to Sunderland last time out.
On right-back Tommy Smith's retirement: "We are very sorry for Tommy. He continues to be a huge character around the place, a big personality. He's done fantastically, he's been great for me."
He added: "When the news finally comes, it's tough for everyone to take. We will continue to support Tom in what's next over the coming months of getting him back to good health and definitely support him in the future."
On transfers: "They've settled unbelievably well. It doesn't feel like a particularly new group, it feels a nice, real balance of freshness and energy."
He added: "I'm really happy with the squad we've got. I think a bit of freshness helps, I think we feel strong and I'm really looking forward to the games coming up."
On Boro's poor run of form: "That doesn't change my thoughts on what's next and what we can do. I'm still encouraged at knowing what we can do. We've got to find that magic and I'm really confident we can do that."
On Sheffield United: "We know the challenge we face when we go down there but it's a fantastic challenge. It's these type of games we want to be involved in."