Right-back competition could epitomise what Michael Carrick is building at Middlesbrough

There should be plenty of competition for places in the Middlesbrough line-up next season – particularly at right back.

In fact, as things stand, it will be the mostly hotly contested position in the team with half a dozen possible contenders at least. We all hope that Luke Ayling will agree to join the fray though he doesn’t need to make a final decision until the end of June, when his Leeds United contract runs out.

Ayling has already confirmed his wish to join the Boro. He will certainly be well aware of the potential benefits, being not far from his home and returning to a dressing room which he knows well and feels happy to be part of.

READ MORE: Middlesbrough in pole position to sign Luke Ayling as Leeds loanee makes feelings clear

It would be better if Boro could pull off a quick pre-dated agreement because there is always the risk that other clubs, including the trio relegated from the Premier League, could come in with attractive offers for Ayling.

The player is under no pressure to make a quick decision though he knows, despite all the likely competition on Teesside, that he will probably start off here as the No.1 choice for the right-back spot.

Tommy Smith will have other ideas. He will be determined to come back fighting fit following his serious ankle injury. Smith played every minute under Michael Carrick before the injury. He knows that the manager will give him every chance to regain his place, given a return to top form. He’s a solid defender, with no airs or graces. He gets stuck in and epitomises the attitude which is needed by the team as a whole.

At this moment in time, Anfernee Dijksteel remains another contender. The Dutch-born defender, who can operate at right-back or centre-back, must be disappointed to have appeared in less than half the games this season. He works hard though has not always been as effective this term as he has been previously.

At the age of 27, Dijksteel is younger than both Ayling and Smith, though doubts have been expressed about his long-term future at the club.

The centre-back situation come August could also have a bearing on what happens at right-back, especially if everybody is fit. If Carrick has Matt Clarke, Rav van den Berg, Dael Fry and Darragh Lenihan at his disposal, then he will have a headache trying to fit all these amply capable players into his line-up.

One alternative, of course, is to switch player of the season van den Berg to right-back, where he started off life with the Boro. Van den Berg might not be too happy to be moved out to the flank, though he will be aware that a wealth of defensive riches will dramatically increase the competition next season.

Again, a great deal might depend on whether the Dutchman is still at the club. It is well possible that some moneybags club comes in with a massive offer which Boro might find difficult to turn down. He's expressed his desire to stay at least.

Another contender for the role in the flank is Isaiah Jones, especially if Carrick decides to play wing-backs on a more regular basis. We prefer to see Jones operating as an out-and-out attacking winger, but he is well-suited to the wing-back role and plays it well.

And if the worst comes to the worst, Mr Reliable Jonny Howson can operate as a right-back if Boro suffer the same kind of defensive injury nightmare which they experienced last season. Howson can literally operate anywhere at the back or in midfield. It’s a wonder that Carrick didn’t try him out as centre-forward for a spell this season.

There would have been yet another contender for right-back had it not been announced that Paddy McNair is moving on this summer. I’m sorry to see McNair go. But squads do change because football doesn’t stand still. And what fireworks we can expect at right-back if Carrick signs Ayling and maybe even another new right-back during the summer.

What a battle that would create. Competition ultimately drives up standards and that's exactly what Carrick is trying to create at Boro.