Middlesbrough FC facing potential Ben Doak issue ahead of Blackburn Rovers | OneFootball

The young Scot may be unable to face Rovers in midweek after penalty-winning incident.

Michael Carrick has some selection worries ahead of facing Blackburn Rovers on Wednesday as Middlesbrough could be without Ben Doak and up to three others.

The winter months put more demands on today's footballers than any other time of the year. The midweek fixtures combined with worsening conditions makes it tough for squads to get through until the new year without suffering some sort of blow.

Boro goalkeeper Seny Dieng missed out on his side's 6-2 thrashing of Oxford United on Saturday due to illness. The bug that the Senegalese shot-stopper picked up has now spread to others in the dressing room, putting them in doubt for the midweek clash at the Riverside.

Doak is not one of the Middlesbrough squad members thought to have become ill in recent days, but the penalty that he won against Oxford, which led to the first of Emmanuel Latte Lath's three goals on the day, has had some lasting effects on him.

Elliott Moore's challenge on the 19-year-old Liverpool loanee hurt his ankle, and he was eventually replaced in the 62nd minute by Marcus Forss. Carrick hasn't confirmed whether Doak will be fit enough to face Rovers or not.

Michael Carrick on Boro injuries and illnesses

The boss is hopeful that the slightly extended time between games compared to the norm will give the winger enough time to get back to full fitness before Middlesbrough take on John Eustace's side.

Fellow starlet Hayden Hackney is also dealing with an ankle issue, but he is being assessed and is not expected to be rushed back to first-team action, as per the Northern Echo.

"At the moment, everyone who came through the game seems to be okay," said Carrick, via the Echo, after the weekend's victory.

"Ben [Doak] took a big tackle on his ankle so we’ll have to wait and see how he is. He is doing all right. He’s pretty positive, actually. We’ve got a couple of days left until the game so we’ll see how he goes, but he’s doing all right.

"There’s a bit of an illness going through the squad at the moment. Seny’s had it and now two or three of the other players have had it over the last couple of days so we’ll assess things closer to the game. We’ll be ready, whatever is thrown at us. We’ll be ready."

Middlesbrough's squad depth will really come in handy now

If you could take your eye off of the action at the Kassam Stadium on Saturday, casting said organ off to look at both benches would have clearly shown which side has been hoping for a Premier League promotion for the past few seasons, and which has just come up from League One.

The talent in the Boro dugout was immense. Tommy Conway cost them £4.5 million this summer: he was on the bench, alongside fellow summer signing Micah Hamilton. They were joined by Forss, Anfernee Dijksteel, Dael Fry, Isaiah Jones and Riley McGree.

Carrick has so many starting-calibre options to work with which is going to be so beneficial to Middlesbrough in this period when games come thick and fast.