Middlesbrough FC: Riley McGree and Dan Barlaser situations will be on Michael Carrick's mind | OneFootball

The Boro head coach may have some big decisions to make over the futures of two star midfielders.

Middlesbrough head coach Michael Carrick is facing some key decisions regarding what to do with two of his key players, Riley McGree and Dan Barlaser.

Both midfielders have proven their worth, and value to the Boro boss during his tenure in the Middlesbrough dugout, but now both players are facing somewhat uncertain futures at the Riverside Stadium for differing reasons.

In the case of McGree, the Australian international only has 12 months remaining on his contract, whilst Barlaser has recently been linked with a move away from the club.

Carrick will no doubt be weighing up his options on how to resolve both of these situations, and he'll hope to find the answers soon as not to disrupt his preparations for what could be a huge season in prospect on Teesside.

McGree keeping all options on the table

When fit and available to Carrick, McGree has been one of his most reliable and effective forward players, with his undoubted creative talent shining through on numerous occasions during his Middlesbrough career.

But after a season that saw the Socceroos star make just 22 Championship appearances, - due to a mixture of injury and international duties - the 25-year-old enters his final 12 months as a contracted Boro player under a cloud of uncertainty as to whether he will remain one beyond that.

The former Birmingham City midfielder only served to muddy the waters over his Middlesbrough future even further in a recent interview with Australian press.

Speaking with 7News Adelaide via Teesside Live, McGree said: "Every season is important. I'm going out there as I would any season, (whether that) be with Middlesbrough again or elsewhere. I have to say I love the club and the people there."

Fellow Australian international Sammy Silvera has completed a loan move to Portsmouth, opening up that left flank for McGree to potentially make his own once again.

But if Carrick doesn't believe that McGree will commit his future to the club, he may have to decide whether to sell him this summer whilst Boro can still receive a healthy fee for him, or decide to keep him in the side in the hopes he can persuade him to stay.

Throw into the mix the addition of Delano Burgzorg, a versatile forward player who can operate as a centre-forward or as a winger, and the complexity of the decision the Middlesbrough boss will need to make becomes even greater.

Barlaser wanted by Turkish Super Lig side

2023/24 was one that saw Barlaser grow into an important member of Carrick's first team squad, after a slower start to his Middlesbrough career than might have been expected when he signed from Rotherham United back in January 2023.

The 27-year-old made 33 Championship appearances, in which he registered two assists, as well as 72.1 successful passes per 90 minutes and 94.8 touches per 90 minutes, both of which were only bettered by three percent of second tier defensive midfielders last season - per FotMob.

It was these performance levels that have attracted the attention of Turkish Super Lig side Trabzonspor, as 61 Saat report that the club have made contact with Middlesbrough and Barlaser over a permanent switch to Turkey.

Barlaser actually qualifies to represent Turkey at international level through his father, and represented them at U16 and U17 level as a youngster.

The dilemma around what to do with Barlaser has multiple layers to it. Firstly, Middlesbrough moved quickly to secure the signing of USA international central midfielder Aidan Morris, in a deal worth around £3m.

Morris is expected to push for a starting role from the get-go, and could prove to be a substantial roadblock towards playing time for Barlaser.

Not only that, but highly-rated youngster Law McCabe is set to break into Carrick's matchday squad on a full-time basis next season, after being granted multiple first-team opportunities towards the end of last season, in which the 18-year-old didn't look out of place.

But what if Morris doesn't hit the ground running? And what if McCabe isn't quite as ready to make the first-team step up as many thought he would be? In that scenario, having a trustworthy commodity such as Barlaser could be crucial to Carrick.

Jonny Howson is not getting any younger either, and at 36, it's not out of the question that his impact begins to take a downward turn.

Therefore, the decision of whether to keep Barlaser or sell is perhaps a far bigger one than some Middlesbrough fans are giving it credit for, and will undoubtedly be giving Carrick a significant headache this summer.