MICHAEL CARRICK claims there is a “small chance” that at least one of Middlesbrough’s injured players could return to the squad for Sunday’s play-off semi-final first leg at Coventry City.

Dael Fry, Jonny Howson, Marcus Forss and Aaron Ramsey were all unavailable for Monday’s draw with Coventry on the final day of the regular Championship season, and while Carrick was characteristically coy when it came to discussing the quartet’s injury situation ahead of this weekend’s trip to the CBS Arena, there is clearly a chance that at least one of the absentees will be available.

Given the length of Fry’s absence, it is unlikely that he would be pitched straight back into the fray on Sunday lunchtime, but Howson has only been sidelined since suffering a muscular strain in the warm-up ahead of the penultimate game of the season at Rotherham and Ramsey is understood to be making reasonable progress in his recovery from an ankle injury.

“There’s a chance (of at least one player returning to the squad),” said Carrick. “There’s a small chance, but there’s a chance. At this stage, as the week has gone, it’s probably a small chance but we’ll have to wait and see how training goes tomorrow because that’s going to define a lot.

“At this stage, there’s no real update. We’ll train tomorrow and see what’s available. We’ve worked this week and it’s one of those things – some boys aren’t fit, some are fit. It’s changing by the day in some ways, so we’ll just have to see what we’ve got tomorrow and go with it and hope that more come through than don’t.”

Hopes that Ramsey might be available were raised earlier this week when the Aston Villa loanee was named in the England squad for the Under-20s World Cup that is due to start in Indonesia at the end of this month.

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The youngster’s recuperation has been overseen by the medical departments at both Middlesbrough and Villa, with Carrick still hopeful he will be able to play at least some part in the play-off campaign.

“We’re hopeful,” he said, when asked whether Ramsey might be given the green light to return before the end of his loan spell. “We’re trying what we can. AJ was announced in the (England) squad, but he’ll obviously be with us for as long as that lasts, and hopefully it’ll last a bit longer. It’s been a case of working between the two clubs and trying to get him back.”