According to Teesside Live, Middlesbrough manager Neil Warnock will give the club’s fringe players a chance if they fall short of the play-offs this season.
Neil Warnock certainly has a core group at Middlesbrough that tend to feature most games. But equally there have been several fringe players who have been used sporadically this campaign.
Boro are hoping to grab a place in the Championship play-offs this season. Despite being in ninth place and eight points off the top six they could still achieve such a feat.
Warnock already has a record eight promotions under his belt. But he will be pushing his side to help him extend his achievements to nine in the near future.
According to the report, if Middlesbrough are to ‘fall short’ between now and the end of the season, the Boro boss will likely give opportunities to those on the outskirts of the first-team.
One player who will be pushing to be involved is left-back Hayden Coulson. He started last season as the club’s first choice in that position, but since Jonathan Woodgate’s sacking and Warnock taking the reigns, he has found himself down the pecking order behind both Marc Bola and Marvin Johnson. His lack of playing time has seen him linked with a move away.
This will also give Warnock the opportunity to assess his options with five players nearing the end of their current contracts. If any of these players are given a greater chance in the first-team picture and impress, they could be offered new deals at the club.
Although striker Ashley Fletcher has already been offered a contract extension he is yet to commit, whereas Britt Assombalonga, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, Marvin Johnson and Jordan Archer are all nearing the conclusion of their time at the club with contracts expiring in June.
