"May live to regret"- Middlesbrough told to avoid loan exit amid Michael Carrick news | OneFootball

FLW's Middlesbrough fan pundit makes an Alex Gilbert admission, while Boro boss Michael Carrick could be set to loan out the young midfielder

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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…

Middlesbrough have experienced a mixed bag of results during this season's early exchanges, as they defeated Swansea City 1-0 in their opening game of the Championship campaign, before hammering Leeds United 3-0 at Elland Road in the first round of the EFL Cup, but Michael Carrick's men subsequently suffered a 1-0 loss to Derby County in their second league outing.

Following the defeat to Derby, Teesside Live revealed that Carrick has not ruled out the possibility of sending young midfielder Alex Gilbert, formerly of Brentford, out on loan.

Gilbert won some Boro fans over at the back end of last season, as he produced two assists and a goal during the last three games of the campaign.

Boro fan pundit makes Gilbert admission

Football League World's Boro fan pundit, Phil Spencer, who runs his own EFL-focussed YouTube Channel, urged Boro to keep hold of the player.

He said: "Alex Gilbert's situation at Middlesbrough is one that divides Middlesbrough fans a little bit.

"In April last year, you'd be thinking I don't really know where his future lies at Middlesbrough, he hadn't really played a huge amount for the first team, and you were thinking maybe it's the sort of player who could spend the entirety of the season out on loan, or potentially would just be deemed not quite good enough to be playing for Middlesbrough.

"But over the last month of the last campaign, he had a reasonable amount of game time, both off the bench and in the starting XI as well, and I think fans were quite encouraged by what they were seeing from him.

"He sometimes played off the right flank, but I think, more naturally, he plays in a sort of central area, as a bit of a cross between a number 10 and almost a number eight really, because he likes to play as a number 10, but he does like to get the ball in deep positions and dictate play a little bit, as opposed to being a number 10 who orbits the other centre-forward.

"I think as far as Gilbert's concerned this season, it's going to be quite a tough one for him.

"I think there's a lot of competition for places in those attacking areas, he's going to be competing directly with people like Finn Azaz and Riley McGree, and even people like Micah Hamilton and those kinds of players as well.

"There's going to be plenty of competition for him, but I think what we did see at the end of last season, and what we've seen in the first couple of games of this season, is that, first of all, Michael Carrick rates him because he's getting game time and he's getting minutes.

"But he's also looked quite impressive when he has been playing so far this season.

"So, as far as I'm concerned, I think he's a player who we may live to regret sending out on loan this summer because I do think he's shown that he's good enough to have some sort of impact on the first team this season.

"I don't think he's ready to be a regular starter for the team yet, there's still an element of the player being a little bit raw at the moment, but I do think he's a player who has something to offer.

"He's someone who I, personally, would trust if he was put into the starting lineup.

"If Finn Azaz picked up an injury, I certainly wouldn't bat an eyelid if Alex Gilbert was named in the starting XI because I do think he's got the quality to do well.

"The question mark will obviously just be about whether he'll get enough match time this season, and whether he'll get enough starts for it to be deemed worthwhile, him being around the squad.

"I think he will, based on what we've seen from Michael Carrick so far, but potentially it's the sort of situation that could be monitored over the next few months, and for me, maybe the ideal scenario is that he sticks around with Middlesbrough for the first half of the season, and then if it gets to January, and he hasn't really played a huge amount, or it's deemed that his development's being stifled somewhat, then potentially you look at a loan deal for him in January.

"But from what I've seen from him, I've been really impressed.

"I think he's got something quite special to offer Middlesbrough, he's very, very comfortable on the ball and someone that I'd very much like to see be kept in and around the Middlesbrough squad for the upcoming season."

Boro should retain Gilbert

For now, Carrick should retain the services of his attacking midfielder, rather than sending him out on loan.

The Republic of Ireland youth international was particularly impressive during the closing stages of last campaign, as he scored a goal as well as creating an assist during a 4-1 victory over Cardiff City during the penultimate game of the last Championship season.

Furthermore, Gilbert made a good account of himself in Boro's recent EFL Cup victory at Leeds and created the most chances in the match, according to FotMob.