MICHAEL CARRICK is confident Middlesbrough can cope without Chuba Akpom – but admits it will not simply be a case of bringing in a like-for-like replacement for last season’s talisman.

Akpom completed his departure from Teesside when he joined Dutch side Ajax this week in a deal that could eventually be worth €14.3m.

The 27-year-old was the Championship Player of the Year last season, with his performances in the ‘number ten’ role playing a crucial role in Boro’s rise up the table to the play-off places.

His exit leaves a major hole to fill, and Carrick admits Boro’s recruitment team are still weighing up their options in terms of the transfer market.

There are players within the current squad who could slot into the ‘number ten’ position, most notably Morgan Rogers, who has started the season as the ‘number nine’, Riley McGree or Matt Crooks, but Carrick admits it will be all-but-impossible to replicate what Akpom was doing for much of last term.

“I think you can evolve in different ways,” said the Boro boss, ahead of tomorrow’s home game with Huddersfield Town. “Sometimes, it’s like for like, sometimes, it’s about doing something a little bit different or having a number of players who can do different jobs.

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“We’re fortunate that, across the frontline, we’ve got players who can play in two or three of those positions. We’ll find a way.

“We’ve obviously got our own ideas of how we want to move forward, and we’ll be working towards that, whether that’s with the boys that are here, that we’re really happy with and feel can be really dangerous in a forward line, or if something comes where we feel we can add to it and improve, we’ll be looking to do that as well.”

Akpom’s departure has been on the cards for some time, with the forward having entered the final year of his contract at the Riverside without agreeing a new deal.

Ajax and Lens both tabled formal offers for his services, with Carrick accepting it was always going to be extremely difficult to keep Akpom in the English second tier.

“Ajax is a fantastic football club,” he said. “It goes without saying. The reality is the reality – we would love to have kept him, and he was fantastic for us last season and offered and gave us so much, but football’s football and the ladder, as it is, is the football ladder.

“We’ve got to accept that and make the best of it. Hopefully, he goes on and has a terrific time at Ajax, and we can grow stronger and have our own level of success as well.”

Boro have brought in two new signings of their own this week, recruiting left-back Lukas Engel from Danish side Silkeborg and forward Emmanuel Latte Lath from Italian club Atalanta.

Engel is an attacking full-back who likes to get forward down the left-hand side, and should help provide some of the creativity and crossing ability that was delivered by Ryan Giles last season.

“First and foremost, he’s a really good, solid lad,” said Carrick. “He’s desperate to come here and do well – that was a big part of it, he really wanted to come and prove himself, get better and be part of this club, which first and foremost was fantastic.

“Then, on top of that, being the player he is, he’s got a fantastic left foot, fantastic delivery and a fantastic feel for a pass. He likes getting forward and attacking down that left-hand side. He’s got that threat and attacking instinct, and a natural eye for a pass and a cross as well.”

Latte Lath spent last season on loan at Swiss side St Gallen, and has been signed as a ‘number nine’ replacement for Cameron Archer, who returned to Aston Villa at the end of last season’s loan spell.

“Again, he’s a fantastic personality,” said Carrick. “He’s got that beaming smile that lights up a conversation. He gives off that positive energy, which is fantastic to see. He’s settled in really quickly, and is really, really happy to be here.

“We’re looking forward to working with him, and he’s a part of the group already. He’s been really sharp, is both footed, and can create his on opportunities, which I think is important. He gives us something a little bit different, really. It’s important to have variety at the top end of the pitch, and a bit of unpredictability.”