Middlesbrough in 'the thick' of play-off fight - but will Michael Carrick retain Morgan Rogers amid continued Aston Villa interest

Boro, thrashed 6-1 in a one-sided semi-final second-leg at Chelsea, return to action on Sunday week at home to Sunderland in a key Tees-Wear derby.

Carrick’s side will be playing catch-up with some top-six rivals fitting in two matches until they return to action, but the Boro chief is quick to stress that anything is still possible.

He said: "It’s what next that is important, and it’s up to us now.

"Whatever happened at Chelsea, the league was always going to be there for us and we need to finish strong now. We’re right in the thick of it.

"It’s tight in the league and we’ll look forward to a good end to the season. We have to move on from this disappointment, take the positives from it, learn from it and come back stronger.”

Carrick is hoping that his side’s mini-break from action could work in their favour, with it provided additional time to get some players back up to speed in a fitness sense after injury.

They could also have some new recruits by the time they take the field next as well, although speculation also continues to link Morgan Rogers with a move to Aston Villa.

The Midlanders are set to make a third and final offer once Friday’s FA Cup game at Stamford Bridge is out of the way.

Boro have turned down two bids already - and the Teessiders unlikely to sell for less than £12m, with Rogers’ previous club Manchester City also having a sell-on clause.

On Boro’s hiatus until after the closure of the transfer window, Carrick continued: "In some ways, it (gap) could help.

"We’ll make the most of it. The boys will have a couple of days off.

"We’ll refresh and try to get one or two back fit if we can. At the same point, we’ll take a bit of a breath really because it’s going to be thick and fast again.

"Up until now, it has been very thick and fast, so now is the time to take a bit of a breath and come back again next week."