Popular former Portsmouth, Derby and West Brom defender lauded as he puts 14-month injury nightmare behind him

Former Pompey favourite Matt Clarke has been lauded following his comeback from a 14-month injury nightmare.

Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick has been impressed by the ease with which the classy central defender has returned to match action, after crippling back pain left him feeling bitter towards football.

Clarke made his Boro comeback in November, having last played for the Riverside Stadium outfit in October 2022. He had featured only six times for the club when the injury struck.

The 27-year-old now has 20 games under his belt and has started seven of Middlesbrough’s past eight games as they target a late push for the Championship play-offs. That coincides with three successive clean sheets as Boro tighten things up at the back with Clarke’s help.

It’s also promoted Carrick to sing the defender’s praises, with the centre-back brought to Boro by former boss Chris Wilder in the summer of 2022.

Speaking to Teeside Live, Carrick said: ‘Clarkey has done tremendously well since coming back. It's easy to forget his back story and everything he's gone through over the last 18 months, because we kind of move on so quickly in football.

‘Since he's come back he's literally not missed a day's training, which is not easy after being out for a long time. Sometimes you can pick up little niggles as the body adjusts to training and playing games all the time again. But he's been pretty robust and you can see that with his consistency in playing and training. His performances are there as well.’

Clarke made 175 appearances and scored nine goals for Pompey after arriving at Fratton Park in July 2015 under Paul Cook.

Initially recruited on a season-long loan from Ipswich, it became a permanent deal a year later, with Adam Webster going the other way and the Blues also receiving around £700,000.

Clarke would go on to win the League Two title and Checkatrade Trophy during four impressive seasons on the south coast. In addition, he won successive The News/Sports Mail Player of the Season recognition for 2017-18 and 2018-19.

The defender was sold to Brighton for around £3.4m in June 2019, although never made an appearance for the Premier League club, instead being loaned out to Derby and West Brom.

Middlesbrough are currently 10th in the Championship table - seven points behind sixth-placed Norwich with eight games remaining. Carrick’s side have won three of their past four games, drawing the other.