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Ben Doak and Diogo Jota of Liverpool during a training session at the Lincoln Financial Field (Image: 2024 Liverpool FC)

Michael Carrick has admitted Ben Doak might have played his last game for Middlesbrough, though is not fully giving up on the Liverpool loanee making a return before the end of the season.

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The Scotland international injured his thigh in training back in January which later required surgery last month, and has missed Boro’s last 13 Championship matches as a result.

The 19-year-old had been a star performer for the Teessiders during the first half of the season prior to injury.

He recorded three goals and seven assists from 21 Championship starts to propel Middlesbrough into play-off contention, while he also made headlines for his appearances for Scotland in the Nations League against Portugal, Croatia and Poland.

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Such form also saw Doak attract Premier League interest as Liverpool rejected bids from both Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town in favour of the young Scot finishing the season with Middlesbrough.

However, he has been unable to make an appearance since the January transfer window closed because of injury.

Initially thought not to be serious, that has ultimately proven not to be the case.

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Doak is currently back on Merseyside undergoing treatment and is yet to return to training, with Boro aware time is running out for the winger to make a comeback before the end of the season.

And Boro head coach Carrick concedes it is looking increasingly unlikely that the forward will be fit enough to make a return for the Teessiders.

"It will get to that stage but we're not writing anything off yet as you probably understand,” he said.

Nothing has changed (he's still at Liverpool)."

Boro were sixth when Doak last played for the club away at Preston North End at the end of January.

But having lost seven of their 13 matches without him, they now sit eighth in the table.

Despite the loss of form, they do remain in play-off contention with four games left to play and are still only three points off the top six.

While Middlesbrough’s season could be extended beyond 46 games if they finish in the top six, it remains to be seen if Doak would be fit enough to return to action for any play-off campaign following at least a three-month injury lay-off.

A number of Liverpool youngsters have been unfortunate with injury while out on loan this season.

Sunderland recently confirmed that Jayden Danns would not make an appearance for the club because of a back injury, while Owen Beck’s season-long loan at Blackburn Rovers was ended prematurely by a hamstring injury.

Calum Scanlon’s season was halted by a serious hamstring injury when on loan with Millwall back in February, while in the past week, both Luca Stephenson has undergone season-ending surgery after playing for four months with a double hernia.

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Meanwhile, Luke Chambers has confirmed that a recurrence of a previous back injury has also ended his time on loan at Wigan Athletic.