Change is the one thing we can be sure of

MICHAEL Carrick knows there will be plenty of change at Middlesbrough this summer, but says those who do remain must use the experiences of the last six months as the foundation to build for a brighter future.

Wednesday evening was a disappointing end to a remarkable run that had seen Boro rise under Carrick from 21st in the Championship to the play-offs.

But promotion was a step beyond them once more, as they now face a seventh season in the Championship.

And another summer rebuild is likely ahead, with six loanees returning to their parent clubs, the potential for certain players to attract interest from elsewhere, and then the natural desire for Carrick to put his own stamp on the squad, which could result in certain players being told they have no future.

In the emotion of the post-match rush on Wednesday evening, Carrick didn’t want to look too much to the future. Still processing what had gone wrong in the game that had just been played out, and a result that ultimately brought the season to an end, he tried to be as upbeat as possible.

Looking ahead, he said: “I don’t really want to think about the future too much now, we’ve just gone out. As much as we want to come back stronger, we’ve got to accept and deal with what’s happened tonight first and foremost.

“It’s a special group. I said to them in there, hopefully in years to come they’ll look back with pride at what they’ve done together.

“Unfortunately, with football, things change, and this will be the last time as a group they’re all together. We’ll come in tomorrow, and hopefully they’ll look back in years to come and think it was great to be a part of.

“It’s a fantastic group of people, and we’ll have good memories of what we’ve been through.

“When we start pre-season with the ones who are here, we’ll look to use this as a base and a foundation for what’s next. We can get our heads around that, it’s about accepting and dealing with what we’ve just gone through.”