MICHAEL CARRICK claims his decision to drop Kelechi Iheanacho from Middlesbrough’s starting line-up at Millwall yesterday was “no big deal”.
Iheanacho has struggled since joining Boro on loan from Spanish side Sevilla in January, and was jeered by his own supporters when he was substituted in the second half of last week’s defeat to Leeds United at the Riverside.
Carrick backed the Nigeria international in the wake of that game, but still opted to leave him out of his starting side at the Den.
Iheanacho eventually came on as an 83rd-minute substitute, replacing Anfernee Dijksteel as Boro tried unsuccessfully to fashion an equaliser, but Carrick insists his decision to leave the former Leicester forward out of the starting line-up should not be misinterpreted as a kneejerk reaction to the external noise that has been building in the last few weeks.
Carrick insists he remains satisfied with Iheanacho’s performance levels in a Boro shirt, and will consider recalling the loanee to the starting line-up for Friday’s home game with Plymouth Argyle.
“I don’t make my decisions on talk around the players,” said the Boro boss, whose side will fall four points adrift of the play-off places with four games remaining if Coventry City win at Hull City tomorrow night. “It’s just one decision.
“Players have come in and out of the team all sorts of times during the season. I have to make a decision, it doesn’t mean I’m not behind all the players, supporting them.
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“It is what it is. It’s just one of those things. It happens every week and it’s no big deal. All the players are important for us. Me and my coaching staff consider many factors in terms of what team I pick.”
Morgan Whittaker replaced Iheanacho in the starting line-up yesterday, but while the 24-year-old did most of his best work at Plymouth Argyle playing as a winger prior to joining Boro in January, he was stationed in the ‘number ten’ role against Millwall.
That meant Finn Azaz remaining on the left-hand side and Delano Burgzorg lining up on the right, despite having been so effective on the left flank earlier in the season.
Carrick could have shuffled his front four at various stages of the game, but instead he stuck rigidly to his starting formation before Whittaker and Burgzorg both went off in the wake of Millwall claiming the lead through one of their own substitutes, Camiel Neghli.
“The boys have been playing well so we just stuck with those decisions,” said Carrick, when asked to explain his tactical approach.
