It’s no surprise, then, to hear Michael Carrick tell of the striker’s “frustration”.
Considering he’s scored eight times from just 12 Championship starts so far this season, had the summer signing managed to stay fit, there’s every chance he’d have been right in the mix at the top of the second tier goal charts.
But what matters for Boro now is not what has gone before but what’s coming up. And as Carrick’s side go in search of a much-needed win to get back on track in the Championship, what a boost to have Conway fit and available again.
After missing six league games with a hamstring injury suffered early on in the Boxing Day draw with Sheffield Wednesday, Conway has come off the bench in the defeats to Sunderland and Sheffield United.
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The next step for the former Bristol City man is a place in the starting XI but it’s not 100 per cent clear whether that will come today against Watford, with Carrick pressing the need for caution with the striker on the back of his injury.
“We need to be a little bit careful and assess when is the right time for him to start a game,” said Boro’s boss.
“He’s come through both games really well, so that’s positive.”
In the first half of the season, Conway was jostling for position with Emmanuel Latte Lath. But with Boro’s top scorer last season and this having now left for Atlanta United, there’s a vacancy to fill and, even after the January arrival of Kelechi Iheanacho, Conway will back himself to be the main man.
“I think that’s the type of character you have to be,” said Carrick.
“To play here and going back to pressure and expectation, you have to thrive off it. It’s such a good position to be in to have that opportunity to go and produce something special.
“Tommy is frustrated because he’s had a couple of injuries this year but in terms of being on the pitch, his minutes per goal ratio is great and he’ll certainly be looking to do more of that in the coming weeks.”
Early on this season, Conway was used as a No.10 and played off Latte Lath and Carrick isn’t ruling out a repeat with Iheanacho.
“There’s absolutely no reason why not,” he said.
“They’re both good players, they can play and adapt and we’ve had different pairings and relationships through the season. That’s definitely something they could do no problem.”
