Middlesbrough are weighing up cutting Sammy Silvera’s Pompey loan short this month.

But there still appears a distance to travel until his Fratton exit is confirmed, after Boro boss Michael Carrick explained a solution which is best for his football club and the Aussie winger needs to be found in the January window.

Silvera’s disappointing stay at PO4 is under the spotlight, with the shutters now open and business underway for the winter period of recruiting.

His is likely to be an exit which is important to Pompey’s January business, too, as they work within the confines of the EFL squad limit across a critical period of recruitment.

The Blues are aiming to bring in four new faces this month and, if those players are over the age of 21, four spaces need to be found with the 25-man ceiling in place.

Silvera is filling one of those precious berths - and it looks a long way back for the 24-year-old after supporters turned on him when given a rare runout at Bristol City at the end of last month.

The 3-0 reverse at Ashton Gate was Silvera’s first outing since September, after initial high hopes about his potential impact when a season-long loan deal was agreed at the start of July.

Silvera has remained a bright and positive figure around the Pompey camp, with the former Central Coast Mariners man viewed as a positive influence around the group.

WATCH the latest episode of Pompey Talk with all the latest January transfer window updates.

But the reality is there appears little chance of him significantly impacting the first-team picture at Fratton Park over the second half of the season.

Middlesbrough have the option to recall Silvera this month, though Pompey cannot terminate the deal - as is often the case with loan agreements.

Boro will have to weigh up the needs of a player who has 18 months to go on his agreement at the Riverside, however, and covering his wages for the rest of this term.

With there little chance of him being involved at his parent club, that would likely mean a new home being found for Silvera before he’s recalled.

A difficult potential scenario for Pompey would be having to keep Silvera and being saddled with his wages for the season.

In that situation, deregistering the London-born man would then have to become a consideration in a similar way to tough calls were made by doing likewise to Tom Lowery and Ben Stevenson last summer.

There’s certainly hope a scenario which is best for all parties can be found, with Carrick explaining there are options for the Socceroos man this month - though the picture over is still not totally clear.

He told Teesside Live yesterday: ‘There are possibilities. There's not much more to give you. It’s that stage where we’re considering what’s best for us, for Sammy and what that looks like. We’ll wait and see on that one.’