MIDDLESBROUGH look almost certain to be without Chuba Akpom, Jonny Howson and Josh Coburn for next week's Championship opener against Millwall, with the trio not yet back in training.

None of the trio have played any part in Boro's pre-season schedule and as things stand Carrick is unable to put a timescale on when he expects them to be ready to return.

Akpom has been battling a knee injury he picked up at the end of last season, while Howson's issue is different to the one that ruled him out of the final weeks of last term.

Coburn, meanwhile, suffered a knee injury in Portugal earlier this month, which cut short the striker's trip.

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Carrick hasn't definitively ruled the trio out ahead of next Saturday's visit of Millwall, but given the fact the three players are yet to resume training, they appear almost certain to miss out.

"We'll have to see," said Carrick when initially quizzed on Akpom and Howson.

"There is no hiding from it, they haven’t trained with the group yet, so we’ll have to make that assessment as the week goes on next week."

On Coburn, Carrick said: "He's the same timeline or there or thereabouts as Jonny and Chuba, we'll just have to see how they get on this week the three of them."

Asked whether any of the trio are back in training, Carrick said: "Not with us."

Boro will also be without Tommy Smith and Anfernee Dijksteel for the opening weekend of the Championship season, while Matt Clarke remains absent because of his back problem.