The time has not yet come for Michael Carrick and Middlesbrough to write off this season

With seven games to play and nine points to make up – you’ve have to be the most optimistic of Middlesbrough supporters to still have hope of reaching the play-offs, particularly with another injury crisis rearing its ugly head.

Despite that, Michael Carrick was emphatic in his response to the notion of it now being the time to use the remaining games to think about the future – next season most specifically. ‘No chance’ was his response when asked if there was now more focus on next season than this after the draw at Southampton.

“There always is [one eye on next season] from my point of view, regardless of how it looks this season,” the Boro boss continued. “I’m always in some respect thinking about next season. But there is absolutely no chance that we’re taking our eye off this season, and more particularly, the next game which is Monday.”

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Boro host Sheffield Wednesday on Easter Monday. The Owls arrive at the Riverside with a lot to play for as they sit second bottom but showing real fight under new boss Danny Rohl to complete an escape and survive the drop back to League One. While some might think Boro players might at this stage have less desire than their opponents, Carrick believes they proved their will to win any game in any circumstance at St Mary’s.

“It’s part of building the group,” he said. “We’ve had a challenging year and there have been some things where we could have helped ourselves better and sometimes things have been out of our hands. All the experience gained from it though, all the fight and heart we’ve shown, I think it will definitely serve us well going forward.

“It’s not an easy one today when you’re mid-table, down at a team going for the top two in those circumstances. It would have been easy to let it flitter away and just put it down to being one of those days. But the boys have got a bit more about them and they showed that today.”

The longer the season goes and the less likely Boro’s faint chance of reaching the play-offs becomes, there will undoubtingly be growing calls to see more younger players and fringe players who could play a bigger role in the years to come handed more minutes, particularly ahead of loan players less likely to be at the club next term.

There were four youngsters on the bench at Southampton and many more have been training with the first-team of late. None made it onto the pitch but Carrick has proven himself on many occasions keen to offer opportunities to Boro’s academy stars when warranted.

As always with these things, timing can be key and it’s something Carrick is keen to ensure they still get right, resisting the urge to just throw players in for the sake of it because there perceived to be little left to play for.

“We’ll wait and see how the season pans out,” he said. “I’m all for giving younger players a chance when they deserve it, and at the right time. That’s part of managing them and finding the right time to give them that opportunity.

“We’ve certainly got some young players that we’re pleased to have and we’re excited to see how they develop. But we’re not getting too carried away because we have to let them develop naturally. We see how it pans out and how the season goes.”