How will the new man in charge play? What will change from the last tenure? And which players will and won’t feature prominently in his plans?
Middlesbrough are in the closing stages of their search to replace Michael Carrick, with Rob Edwards the odds-on favourite to be the next man in charge.
And the next boss has some big decisions to make on several Boro players:
JONNY HOWSON
More than a month has now passed since Boro released their retained list, in which they said discussions with captain Jonny Howson “would take place in due course”.
Since then, Michael Carrick has been dismissed and it’s completely understandable that a decision – from club or player – has not yet been made on Howson’s future.
But the matter will almost certainly be resolved one way or the other in the next fortnight or so.
The new head coach will have carried out extensive research on Boro’s squad and will no doubt have a plan or preference for what happens with Howson.
He might be 37, but Howson underlined his importance at the end of last season. And if it is Edwards in the hotseat, and the tactical preference is a back three, Howson could be a good fit. And even if he’s not playing every week, there’s all that he offers behind the scenes and in the dressing room.
But do Boro see this summer as an opportunity for a fresh start? Does Howson want to keep playing?
We’ll get the answers sooner rather than later.
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THOSE ENTERING FINAL YEAR OF CONTRACTS
There are a group of Middlesbrough players now entering the final 12 months of their contracts at the Riverside.
Dael Fry, Dan Barlaser, Darragh Lenihan and Marcus Forss are all out of contract next summer, meaning Boro have decisions to make in the weeks ahead.
Lenihan is a class act at this level when he’s fit and firing, but can he get back to his best after his long-term injury struggle?
It’s been a while since Forss delivered consistently for Boro. Can he get back to the level he was at in Carrick’s first season?
If the answer to the above questions is no, then it makes sense to move them on this summer. But the new boss won’t make any judgements before he sees the players on the Rockliffe training pitches. If Lehihan, for example, returns fully fit then Boro suddenly have one of the league’s best centre-halves back in their ranks.
Barlaser has never been able to nail down a regular starting spot at Boro and an exit might well make sense for all parties this summer. But with the future of Howson unclear and the same can be said of Hayden Hackney amid high-profile transfer interest, Boro won’t want to leave themselves short in midfield.
Fry was limited to just 15 starts last season and has endured what has most likely been the most frustrating spell of his career. But at 27, the Teessider will still believe his best years can be ahead of him. He’ll be desperate for a consistent spell of fitness and games.
NETO BORGES
The decision with Borges won’t be whether he has a part to play for the new boss. That is almost certain.
Rather, the question is will he been used as a left-back or a centre-half. If Boro play a back three next season then Borges could well be an ideal fit for the left sided centre-half role.
He was quality at centre-half when he had to deputise at the back end of the season.
Whatever decision is made on Borges will have a knock-on effect. If Borges is seen as a central defender, then could Alex Bangura finally get the opportunity to nail down a starting spot at left wing-back?
Is George McCormick ready to make the step up?
If the answer to either of the above questions is no, Boro would likely move to strengthen in that area.
LAW MCCABE
Law McCabe is very well thought of at Boro and has been part of the first team set-up for 18 months or so now.
But the midfielder didn’t make a single Championship appearance last season.
While McCabe will no doubt have continued to benefit from training with the first team on a daily basis, at 19, Boro won’t want another season to pass him by. So unless he’s going to feature more prominently this coming campaign, it might be decided that the best course of action is a loan move.
While several academy players were handed first team minutes under Carrick, none played regularly under the former head coach. Will we see a breakthrough in the coming campaign?
MORGAN WHITTAKER
Morgan Whittaker endured something of a frustrating and underwhelming first six months on Teesside, but there were plenty of mitigating circumstances,
After signing in January, he was thrown straight into an out-of-form side for the Tees-Wear derby against Sunderland, then dropped to the bench for the following week’s trip to Sheffield United. As Carrick searched for a winning formula, Whittaker was in and out and used in different positions. It can’t have been easy for Whittaker.
But his quality shouldn’t be questioned. He was, after all, courted by Burnley in January. He’ll be one of the players who you’d think will benefit enormously from a full pre-season for Boro.
What will be interesting is how the new boss uses the 24-year-old. Wherever he plays, Whittaker will be keen to make his mark.
THE RETURNING LOANEES
Josh Coburn, Alex Gilbert, Micah Hamilton – what happens next?
We know Millwall want to make Coburn’s loan deal permanent, so Boro have a decision to make there.
As for Gilbert and Hamilton, the former won promotion with Charlton but didn’t play as much football as he’d have hoped in his League One loan. The latter hardly got a kick at Stockport.
Gilbert is 24 before the year is out so it might be a case of now or never for the former Brentford man at Boro this summer.
Hamilton is 21 but has still barely played any senior football and it’s too soon to judge the former Manchester City winger.
