MICHAEL CARRICK is delighted that Chuba Akpom has developed a mentality that sees him “greedy for goals”.

Akpom is in the midst of a remarkable season that currently sees him four goals clear of his closest rival, Coventry City striker Viktor Gyokeres, in the Championship’s scoring charts.

The 27-year-old was on the verge of leaving Middlesbrough in the summer, only for a lack of alternative options to force Chris Wilder’s hand, and has gone from strength to strength since Carrick was appointed as head coach in the autumn.

The Boro boss has been hugely impressed with Akpom’s performances on the pitch, and with the way his general attitude has altered over the course of the last few months.

Speaking ahead of tomorrow's game at Swansea City, Carrick said: “It’s fantastic when someone in your team scores the goals that he has, but the biggest thing for me has been seeing Chuba grow, as a player and as a person.

“Having that taste of goals and of success, he’s using that as motivation to push himself even more. It’s almost a form of greed in the nicest kind of way, because it’s motivating him to want more.

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“Some people get a taste for that and think, ‘That was fantastic, well done’. Others think, ‘I want a little more of that, I want to improve and I want bigger and better things’. For me, the way Chuba has gone about it, he’s desperate to learn and desperate to take in information all the time.”

He also displayed his unselfish streak last weekend when he stood aside to allow Marcus Forss to score Boro’s final goal in their 5-0 win over Reading from the penalty spot.

Other forwards might have seized the ball themselves if they were on the verge of claiming a hat-trick, but Carrick feels Akpom’s selflessness proves he is a real team player.

He said: “Chuba knows he wouldn’t have scored all those goals without his team-mates in the squad. It takes a bit of everything, and there’s not really a better example of how much he appreciates his team-mates than that (allowing Forss to take the penalty).

“He’s driven and motivated for success, both individually and for the team. He knows for success you need to be together, and you need good spirit within the group, and we’ve certainly got that at the moment.”