MICHAEL CARRICK claims Jonathan Woodgate provides the perfect accompaniment to his own position as Middlesbrough head coach.

One of Carrick’s first key decisions after taking over on Teesside was to engineer Woodgate’s return to Boro’s coaching set-up.

Having represented his hometown club with distinction during two spells as a player, Woodgate had spells as Boro’s assistant manager under both Steve Agnew and Tony Pulis.

He stepped up to the head coach role in 2019, and also spent time in charge of Bournemouth prior to returning to Rockliffe Park under Woodgate.

Initially working alongside Aaron Danks, the former England international has assumed additional responsibility since Danks left for Bayern Munich earlier this summer, with Carrick absolutely delighted to have Woodgate in such a key position.

“Woody has been massive ever since I’ve walked through the door,” said the Boro boss, who was taking on his first managerial job when he agreed to succeed Chris Wilder at the Riverside. “The impact on me and around the place is massive - his character, knowledge and love of the game.”

Woodgate’s experience as a top-class centre-half means he tends to look at things with a slightly different tactical focus to Carrick.

The pair do not have specific positional responsibilities, but Woodgate tends to spend more time working with Boro’s defensive unit and taking one-on-one sessions with the club’s defenders.

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Rav van den Berg has spoken glowingly about Woodgate’s role in his own defensive development, while Luke Ayling readily admitted that the 44-year-old’s presence on the coaching team helped persuade him to choose Middlesbrough ahead of a number of other suitors when he initially left Leeds United on loan in January.

Carrick is happy to delegate responsibility to Woodgate and Grant Leadbitter, who has been playing an increasingly prominent role within the first-team coaching group this season, and clearly feels the former complements his own skillset as they dovetail on the training pitch.

“He (Woodgate) sees things a little bit different to me, having obviously played at the back,” said Carrick. “We feed off each other in a good, dynamic way. He’s constantly looking at different things to what I might see and helping the boys develop.”

The pair have spent the last week working with Boro’s non-internationals at Rockliffe Park, and will be hoping the club’s international contingent return unscathed ahead of Saturday’s return to Championship action at home to Bristol City.

Riley McGree is currently on the other side of the world representing Australia, and the Boro midfielder has been talking about his battles against injury over the last 12 months.

McGree was a half-time substitute as Australia took on China last week, and helped engineer a second-half improvement that saw the Socceroos claim a 3-1 win after going in level at half-time.

The midfielder will hope to return to Australia’s starting side for this evening’s World Cup qualifier against Japan, having admitted that he has been forced to endure a difficult year because of a succession of foot problems.

“Early in my career, I didn't have really many injuries at all, and they all kind of came at once,” said McGree, who was a second-half substitute in Boro’s 2-1 defeat at Watford that preceded the international break. “It's just about riding the waves, the emotional waves, and taking it day by day, step by step, hour by hour.

“And then just trying to get my body the best I can and give myself the best opportunity to be able to perform and be healthy.”

McGree quashed speculation over his future when he signed a new four-year deal with Middlesbrough earlier this summer.

This is his fourth season as a Boro player, and the desire to help the club return to the Premier League remains as strong as ever.

“I’m feeling very good, feeling positive,” he said. “You want to play the highest possible level and for me in England, that's obviously where it is. So, I'm working day by day, hour by hour to give myself the best opportunity to get that.”