Drastic Isaiah Jones action now needed at Middlesbrough | OneFootball

The winger has endured a disappointing start to the season, and is yet to score or provide an assist so far this campaign.

Middlesbrough winger Isaiah Jones has endured a disappointing start to the 2024/25 season and now might be the time for Boro boss Michael Carrick to take action.

The 25-year-old is yet to score or provide an assist through the opening 12 games of the Championship season, in addition to a further two Carabao Cup outings.

Jones hasn't been named in the starting XI since Boro's away defeat at Sunderland back on the 21 September, with brief second-half cameos as a substitute being his only taste of action since.

After failing to make an impact in the 20 minutes he received in Middlesbrough's frustrating 3-3 draw with Norwich City last weekend, now may well be the time for Carrick to take decisive action on the former Tooting & Mitcham winger.

When Middlesbrough snapped up the loan signing of Liverpool winger Ben Doak on transfer deadline day, Boro knew that they'd pulled off a significant coup, and perhaps so did Jones.

Up until then, Jones had once again began the campaign as Carrick's clear number one option on the right flank, given the fact that Marcus Forss was still recovering from his latest injury setback, whilst patience was always going to be enacted with summer signing Micah Hamilton.

That perceived security in the team perhaps played a role in his form, as despite some solid displays, his inconsistent displays all of a sudden placed his position under threat upon Doak's arrival.

Carrick would continue to place his trust in the 25-year-old for two further games after the September international break, but with sub-par showings against Preston and Sunderland respectively, the time had arrived to unleash their exciting young recruit.

Doak hasn't looked back since and firmly cemented himself as one of the first names on the Boro teamsheet over the duration of October. Now Jones faces a seemingly impossible task to win back that spot from the Scottish international.

Jones's performances should see others handed opportunities from the bench instead

Due to the high intensity with which Doak plays the game and with the sheer volume of attacks that run through him, there will be games where he can't complete the full 90 minutes.

In those instances, Carrick must be able to turn to his bench and replace him with someone who can match what the Scotsman provides in terms of pressing and pushing teams back with his running, driving Boro up the pitch, and winning time-killing fouls.

So, when you consider that Jones was brought on to replace Doak against Norwich after 71 minutes with Middlesbrough leading 3-1, only for the Canaries to score two goals in nine minutes and level the game up, Carrick evidently lost something as a result of that decision.

That's not to say the introduction of Jones cost Middlesbrough the game, as Boro still should've seen the game out as a team, but the difference in how the side looked before and after that change was pretty apparent.

Substitutions should make the side stronger in certain scenarios but that evidently wasn't the case at Carrow Road. That's something that Carrick can't and won't accept, and with the likes of Hamilton and Forss champing at the bit for game time, Jones may be relegated to an even smaller role soon if he can't positively affect games when introduced.

So, despite signing a new three-year contract with the club in April, Jones' Middlesbrough mortality does feel like it's been in the most danger since his breakthrough into the first team side back in 2021.

He's undoubtedly a player that Carrick trusts, having made 41 appearances in all competitions for the club last season, in which he scored nine goals and provide five assists. However, continuing to side with him over others will only become more difficult to justify the longer his poor form continues.

As such, actually allowing Jones to take a step back from the spotlight this season could give him the space to really work on his game away from the pressure matchdays bring, and as frustrating as not playing might be this year, it could serve him better for the future.