Middlesbrough boss makes honest admission on loan players from Aston Villa, Fulham, Man City, West Brom and Wolves | OneFootball

Middlesbrough manager Michael Carrick doesn’t view his loanees as loan players, speaking to Teesside Live.

The former Manchester United midfielder has six loanees at his disposal at this stage, with Aston Villa sanctioning loan exits for Cameron Archer and Aaron Ramsey who are currently thriving at the Riverside.

Ramsey scored a brace against Reading yesterday and although Archer didn’t get himself on the scoresheet – his loan spell on Teesside can certainly be counted as a success.

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Ryan Giles has also been a key player for Boro, adapting to his left-back role well following the arrival of Carrick and doing more than enough to put himself in the shop window ahead of the summer.

It remains to be seen whether Boro make a move for him or Zack Steffen, though it was reported back in November that the club were looking to strike a deal with Manchester City to take him to the Riverside permanently.

Two players they probably won’t be looking to keep for the long term are West Brom’s Alex Mowatt and Fulham’s Rodrigo Muniz considering how limited their impact has been this term.

That hasn’t stopped Carrick from viewing all of the loanees as his players.

Speaking after their 5-0 victory this weekend, the former England international said: “I don’t see them as loans, I just see them as our players, to be honest.

“They’re part of the group and part of the squad and look like they’re enjoying themselves.”

The Verdict:

It goes without saying – but Muniz and Mowatt shouldn’t be signed permanently regardless of which division they are in – because they clearly aren’t a big part of Carrick’s plans.

Giles is someone they should be looking to recruit permanently though – because he can operate in a number of positions and will only improve considering his age.

His price tag could potentially be a barrier to a permanent agreement though so it will be interesting to see whether they can agree another loan deal.

They may need to be in the Premier League if they want to secure Giles though, not just because of finances but because Wolves may want to see him take a step up.

You feel Archer and Ramsey will be in Villa’s first-team plans at some point, even if they aren’t next season either, so buying them permanently may not be realistic unless Boro are willing to spend big.

A deal for Steffen could be in reach though – and it will be interesting to see how many of the loan players sign for Boro for the long term. There’s even a chance none may sign.