The 3 dilemmas Michael Carrick faces as Middlesbrough get back to Championship action this weekend against Luton Town | OneFootball

Middlesbrough return to Championship action this weekend as they host Luton Town at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday.

Boro will feel that the World Cup break came at a bad time, as they were just beginning to find form under new head coach Michael Carrick.

The 41-year-old replaced Chris Wilder at the end of October and has enjoyed an excellent start to life in his first permanent managerial post, winning four of his first five games in charge. Their final game prior to the break was an impressive 2-1 win over Norwich City at Carrow Road, with Riley McGree’s superb equaliser and Matt Crooks’ injury-time winner turning the game around after Josh Sargent had put the Canaries in front early on. It moved Boro up to 14th in the table, just four points from the play-offs and most importantly, four points clear of the relegation zone.

Carrick has had a month to get more of his ideas across on the training ground and given the instant impact he made, that can only be a good thing.

Boro are facing a Luton side who have also experienced a managerial change. It will be Rob Edwards’ first game in charge of the Hatters after he replaced Nathan Jones following the Welshman’s departure to Premier League side Southampton.

The 39-year-old, who won the League Two title with Forest Green Rovers last season, was sacked by Watford in September after just 11 games in charge at Vicarage Road. He inherits a Luton side sitting 11th in the table, just one point from the play-offs.

They drew 1-1 with Rotherham United at Kenilworth Road in their last game, with Luke Berry’s 90th-minute equaliser cancelling out Jamie Lindsay’s opener for the Millers.

McGree decision

McGree has been an integral part of the turnaround under Carrick, with the former Manchester United player and caretaker manager moving him out to a wide role on the left of midfield.

The 24-year-old was deployed more centrally and even up front by Wilder and struggled to find consistency in his performances, but has thrived since his switch in position under his new boss.

McGree will be returning to Teesside in confident mood after an excellent World Cup campaign with Australia, where he helped the Socceroos progress to the knockout stage of the tournament for the first time in 16 years, where they suffered a 2-1 defeat to favourites Argentina on Saturday.

But it was an outstanding achievement to get that far and McGree was a key part of Graham Arnold’s side, starting all four games and providing one assist.

Carrick will have to decide whether McGree is mentally and physically ready for a start against the Hatters, especially with the long travel involved on the journey back to the North East.

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Who should start up front

One of the most problematic positions for Boro this season has been the forward areas.

Chuba Akpom has been deployed in the number 10 role in another effective tactical switch by Carrick and he is the top scorer this season with eight goals.

But who to play in front of Akpom is more of an issue, with many of the strikers at the club struggling for form. Rodrigo Muniz and Marcus Forss both only have two, Duncan Watmore has four, while Matthew Hoppe is yet to get off the mark since his arrival in the summer.

Carrick has favoured Forss in recent weeks, but Watmore could return from injury against the Hatters and Hoppe has been introduced from the bench in each of the last few games and is pushing for a start, so he will have a decision to make.

Perhaps one of the biggest challenges for Carrick is knowing what exactly to prepare for.

With it being Edwards’ first game in charge, Carrick has no reference point of how the Hatters will play under him and particularly given that he has had almost a month to work with the players since his arrival in Bedfordshire, he will have had the opportunity to instill many of his changes.

Edwards was not given long enough to really make his mark at Watford, but his Forest Green side were renowned for playing attractive, attacking football so it will be interesting to see if there is a shift in style at Kenilworth Road.

But for Carrick, how they will set up here is an unknown, though he will know that it will be a difficult encounter against a group of players who always give everything.