TWO games, nine goals, six goalscorers and 19 different players used. If football really is a squad game, Middlesbrough have showcased the depth of their talent hugely effectively in the space of five days.

Eyebrows were raised when Michael Carrick made four changes ahead of Saturday’s game with Luton, ripping apart the side that had performed so impressively against QPR a few days earlier. Admittedly, two of the alterations were enforced, with Neto Borges unavailable because of illness and Jonny Howson not really able to play three games in a week.

But did Carrick really need to rest Riley McGree and Tommy Conway? Well, why not, when you can bring in Delano Burgzorg and Emmanuel Latte Lath and watch them combine to score three goals and run the Luton defence ragged?

It has always felt like the strength of Boro’s squad was going to be one of their biggest assets this season, but in the early weeks of the campaign, the number of selection choices available to Carrick seemed to be a hindrance rather than a help. Not anymore. In every area of the pitch, the Teessiders boast a depth of talent that would be the envy of pretty much any other team in the league.

Take defence. Dael Fry ended a nine-month injury absence when he came off the bench in the final 15 minutes of Saturday’s game, but the centre-half faces a huge battle to dislodge either George Edmundson or Matt Clarke from the starting line-up. And that’s before we even get to Rav van den Berg and Darragh Lenihan, who are currently unavailable because of injury.

What about central midfield? Jonny Howson returned to do a fine job at Loftus Road, but wasn’t missed against Luton as Hayden Hackney replaced him to partner Aidan Morris. Dan Barlaser, a goalscoring substitute at Loftus Road, didn’t really feature in the conversation until he came on again to help see out Saturday’s game in the final 20 minutes.

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And don’t even mention attack, the area of the pitch where Carrick’s embarrassment of riches it at its most marked. Latte Lath? Three goals in the last five games, even though he’s only started one of them. Conway? Three goals in the last four games, even though he only played for 20 minutes at the weekend and barely touched the ball.

Ben Doak? Perhaps the best winger in the Championship. Finn Azaz? Man of the Match against Luton as he had a hand in all five goals. Burgzorg? Two goals in his first start since August. McGree? An unused substitute at the weekend, but a goalscorer at QPR. It might be one of the biggest cliches in football, but the kind of selection headache Carrick will face when the action resumes after the international break really is the best kind of headache to have.

“There’s a lot that goes into the decision making, but I get that as a manager, you either don’t know what you’re doing or you’ve got all the answers,” said the Boro boss. “That’s just how it is, but it’s not something I worry about.

“It’s been a good week for the whole squad. Pretty much everyone has played and had a big impact on it over the two or three games, in different ways. Certainly, everyone’s right in the thick of it. It’s great to be able to make changes (against Luton) – a couple were enforced and a couple were by choice – and still be able to have that level of performance.”

After weeks of threatening to deliver an emphatic victory, this has been the week when things have finally clicked for a Boro side whose only defeat in the last five games came when they were reduced to ten men against Coventry.

Luton, a pale shadow of the side that swept all before them two seasons ago and almost secured Premier League survival last term, were there for the taking, but it is to Boro’s huge credit that they secured such an emphatic victory.

Their goals were brilliant. Latte Lath’s was the pick, with the Ivorian displaying brilliant control as he chested down Azaz’s floated pass, superb technical skill as he turned away from Teden Mengi and impressive composure as he stroked a clinical finish into the bottom corner.

Burgzorg’s opener came close to matching it though, with the summer signing from Mainz rounding off a fine set-piece routine that saw Doak flick Azaz’s short corner into his team-mate’s path, and Azaz’s goal that completed the win was also a picture-book effort, with the Irishman curling a fine finish into the far corner.

As the second half progressed, and Boro continued to punch a series of holes through the Luton rearguard, it was impossible not to look ahead and wonder what this side might be capable of in the remainder of the season.

Carrick has always maintained this a better Boro squad than the one that made the play-offs in his first season in charge, and while it might lack some of the individual brilliance displayed by the likes of Chuba Akpom and Cameron Archer, collectively, it increasingly looks stronger. It is just down to the head coach to keep on getting his selections right.

“I’m really encouraged,” said Carrick, whose side will return to action after the international break with a trip to Oxford United. “Without getting too carried away, I’m really encouraged. The boys should be encouraged, hopefully the supporters are encouraged. What’s next? I can’t predict it. But certainly, where we’re at now, we feel like we’re in a good place.”