Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick addresses Chuba Akpom rumours ahead of Championship opener
Michael Carrick discusses Chuba Akpom's future
Middlesbrough manager Michael Carrick has admitted he is not worried about Chuba Akpom’s future despite the striker being linked with a number of Premier League teams.
The 27-year-old was the top scorer in the Championship last season and won the Player of the Year award, something which was unlikely to go unnoticed by potential suitors but no move has been forthcoming over the summer.
Akpom himself has said he would like to remain at the club however he will be unable to play much of a part in the early stages of the campaign after missing all of pre-season with a knee injury.
Carrick further dented speculation over Akpom’s future during his pre-match press conference for the Championship opener against Millwall, stressing he was unconcerned about the rumours, instead focusing on getting him back on the pitch.
“He’s our player, Chuba, so I’m relaxed,” Carrick said when asked about Akpom’s future in his pre-match press conference. “Sometimes you can get into this type of situation and people get carried away both ways but ultimately he has a contract with us.
“We have a great relationship and he has done great things for this club. I’m more focused on getting him back among the group and fit.”
While Carrick was reluctant to talk about outgoings, he was keen to praise the players who joined the club over the summer. Seven new faces have arrived at the Riverside and the former Manchester United midfielder suggested they bring as much to the squad off the pitch as they do on it.
“I think you can get carried away with just talking about a player's ability or position in the team,” he explained. “But actually a big part of what we have here is togetherness and spirit.
“The group is very close and really solid and that's something that we need to keep building on if possible. We are really conscious of that when we look at players and find out what they bring, not only in terms of ability but off the pitch as well.
“That's something that we're quite big on.”
The Middlesbrough manager laughed off suggestions that any transfer business could be imminent but did concede he was open to making further additions despite being generally happy with the makeup of his squad.
“Every manager in the country will tell you the same thing at this stage - we are always looking to improve,” Carrick said. “Sometimes things pop up out of nowhere and surprise you but it's never as simple as you would like.
“I’m really happy with the squad we’ve got and the players we’ve signed - they’ve settled really quickly - but it is a moving jigsaw puzzle, you want to be as close to finishing as you can be but you’re never really finished.”
The goal this season for Middlesbrough is simple - reach the Premier League. Carrick was not afraid to make this intention clear as he aims to get off to the best possible start against Millwall at the Riverside on Saturday.
“We want to be trying to finish near the top and get out of the league, that's pretty obvious’” he said. “We'll see what we can do. It's a long road. A long season but we'll take it step by step.”
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...