MICHAEL CARRICK claims all four of Middlesbrough’s centre-halves will get the chance to impress over the course of the forthcoming season.

Boro’s squad is especially well-stocked in the central-defensive area, with Rav van den Berg and Matt Clarke having finished last season playing alongside each other at the heart of the back four.

Dael Fry is another option – the defender missed Wednesday’s friendly win over Gateshead with a minor niggle but will be fit for the start of the season – while Darragh Lenihan proved his wellbeing as he returned from a ten-month absence to score the winning goal at the International Stadium.

Carrick faces an extremely difficult choice as he weighs up his starting line-up for the Championship season-opener against Swansea City on August 10, but is confident that whoever misses out will get plenty of opportunities over the course of the campaign.

“I think over the course of the season, the squad is really important,” said the Boro boss. “It's not so much what you’d put down as your best team on paper, it’s about managing the squad over the course of a season. It’s nice to have that quality and calibre of player and the personality and character they all bring, so it’s important for us.”

Having claimed victories over Bolton and Gateshead in the last week, Boro return to pre-season action tomorrow when they head to Doncaster Rovers, with Carrick delighted with where his players are at a fortnight out from the start of the season.

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“The boys have come back well,” he said. “I think getting the boys in early, we're really happy. You're always on the lookout to see how you can keep improving things, but there's a good feeling at the moment.

“When the season starts, it's a whole different animal. We need to be ready for that. But at this moment now, we're in a decent place.

“Once the season kicks off, it's a whole new ball game. At the moment, we're jostling to get everyone fit, keep them fit, there's a balance. But we're feeling like we're doing that as the games tick by.”

Carrick has been especially pleased with the way in which new arrivals Aidan Morris and Delano Burgzorg have settled in following their summer moves to Teesside.

“It's a good group, a really good group,” he said. “They look after each other, and the new boys have settled in really well and quickly, so that’s another positive.”