West Brom v Middlesbrough: Michael Carrick points to Manchester United example as he stresses importance of evolution

Neither of Middlesbrough’s top two scorers from last season remain on the books, while the man who topped their assists chart has also sought pastures new.

The transition into this season has not been a seamless one – Middlesbrough are yet to win in the league – but Carrick remains calm with the campaign still in its infancy.

Speaking ahead of the trip to West Bromwich Albion, he said: “For us, it’s about adapting, evolving and finding the next best solution, striving for those standards whoever it may be – individuals or collectively.

"That’s always the challenge, every season’s different. You can’t rely on last season to make this season a good one.

"It’s not about replacing anything, it’s just about what you’ve got to do to achieve success. That doesn’t change – you’ve got to win games, you’ve got to score goals.

"It’s not about replacing what’s gone, it’s about what we do now to make it happen, to achieve success. That could be in all sorts of ways.”

As a player, Carrick was a key cog in the Manchester United machine that dominated English football for a period. He was part of the side given a Cristiano Ronaldo-shaped gap to plug when he completed an £80m move to Real Madrid in 2009.

The circumstances may be different now, but the concept of finding ways to adapt remains the same.

Carrick explained: “All sorts of different teams of all sorts of different levels have lost players. You’ve got to adapt. I was at (Manchester) United, (who have) history of losing players and adapting and changing.

"I was in the team where we lost Ronaldo, and then you’ve got to adapt and you have other players that chip in with goals. Not necessarily the one that scores 40-45 a season, but you might share it out. History proves that.

"That’s the challenge of me in my position and the group we’ve got, of bringing the best out of what’s next and making the most out of what we have.”