"Smart" - Middlesbrough FC backed to let midfielder leave the Riverside by Feb 3rd | OneFootball

Alex Gilbert could well be on his way out of The Riverside before the end of the transfer window

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Alex Gilbert is a player who has his future very much still in the air during the current transfer window, with the Middlesbrough man’s short-term role at The Riverside very much in doubt as it stands.

With Boro already blessed with plenty of attacking talent, as well as adding Plymouth Argyle forward Morgan Whittaker to their front line recently, there is scope for the 23-year-old to spend the rest of the season away from the northeast, to get some much-needed minutes back in his legs.

An injury disrupted start to the season has seen the former Swindon Town loanee struggling for game time of late, with boss Michael Carrick failing to rule out a late departure before the February 3 transfer deadline when quizzed earlier this week.

With that in mind, we spoke to Football League World’s Boro fan pundit Jasper Hudson about the playmaker’s situation ahead of the second-half of the Championship campaign.

Alex Gilbert tipped for Championship loan before transfer deadline

Having suffered a knee injury back in September, Gilbert has only managed to feature in seven Championship matches so far this season, and is still looking for his first start of the 24/25 campaign.

Despite only having just 77 league minutes under his belt, it hasn’t stopped the midfielder from having an impact for the Teessiders, with an injury-time winner against Hull City on New Year’s Day proving just how influential he can be when given the platform to perform.

But with the wealth of attacking options that Boro have on their hands right now, those chances are looking likely to be few and far between until the end of the season, with Hudson believing a temporary move elsewhere could be the best thing for his development.

When quizzed on the situation, FLW's Boro fan pundit said: “I think a loan could be the right move for Alex Gilbert, and it could be a smart one as well.

“There is a lot of competition for places in behind the striker, especially in his position. I think there is a very good player in the there, but obviously he has had his struggles out with injury.

“It would be good for him to get some consistent game time and prove why he deserves to be challenging, or starting every week.

“So a loan to another Championship club towards the bottom half of the table could be good for him; it would give him some game time, a consistent amount of starts, minutes, and hopefully he can prove why he should be starting next year, or at least being more competitive.

“On the other hand, Finn Azaz hasn’t played to the best of his ability for a while, so unless he is back firing and playing how he can, it could be a bit of a risk to not keep Gilbert, who has shown it in flashes since he has come back.”

Alex Gilbert needs Championship minutes at this point in his career

At the age of 23, Gilbert is at a time when he needs to be playing football on a regular basis, and if he hangs around at the Riverside for the remainder of the campaign, that doesn’t look like it is going to happen.

With Finn Azaz, Whittaker, Riley McGree, Ben Doak and Aidan Morris all capable of playing across the front three, as well as Delano Burgzorg, Carrick is well-stocked for options from a creative sense, and Gilbert’s inclusion from the start is unlikely, to say the least.

FLW exclusively revealed that Swansea City are a side interested in the 23-year-old earlier this month, and Hudson believes a team of that ilk could be the perfect destination for a player who has plenty to prove over the next few months.

He continued: “A loan could be the smart move, but it would have to be a loan that is smart and would work, and would guarantee him game time at a level where he can compete and demonstrate his ability.

“So I think going to a lower-half Championship club could be the right level for him to do that."