Middlesbrough told to offload Riley McGree in January on one condition | OneFootball

FLW's Middlesbrough Fan Pundit reveals his thoughts on injury-hit Riley McGree

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's Riley McGree has played just 39 league games across the last two Championship seasons following a horrible run of injuries.

Despite signing a new contract until 2028 last year, question marks remain over whether McGree can be relied upon as a consistent performer in Rob Edwards' plans.

According to Capology estimates, the Australian international - who has scored once for the Socceroos in 31 appearances, earns £15k-a-week at the Riverside Stadium.

Middlesbrough's Riley McGree "needs to go" if one condition isn't met

FLW's Middlesbrough Fan Pundit, Liam Day, believes the club must consider parting ways with Riley McGree in January if the cannot prove his fitness.

"If he can’t prove his fitness, he needs to go," Day stated.

"There’s a great player in there, there’s no doubt about that, he’s shown his ability at times and I do think when he’s fully fit he can be one of the best members of the squad. The issue is he’s never fully fit," he added.

Since joining Boro from Charlotte FC in 2022 for a reported £3.6m, McGree has scored 15 goals in 100 appearances across all competitions.

Prior to his Teesside move, McGree never played for the MLS outfit after they immediately loaned him out to Birmingham City in 2020, after signing him themselves from Adelaide United.

The extent of McGree's injury struggles became clear when former manager Michael Carrick revealed the club had sent him to specialists to address his persistent foot issues and muscle strains.

Rob Edwards - Carrick's successor - admitted he doesn't want to rush McGree back to soon, telling TeessideLive, " We said with Riley we want to make sure when he comes back he stays back, so we're focused on that and building resilience and strength up, so when he comes back he's not going to be in a position where he may break down again."

Day's thoughts on Edwards' plans for McGree could be seen as harsh, but he says there's no time for sentiment if things fail again on the fitness front. " I can appreciate what Edwards is trying to do with him, keeping him on for a longer bit of time just to ensure everything’s alright with him, trying to get back to full recovery, but if he goes down with an injury again you do have to try and sell."

Transfer demand for Riley McGree "won't be high"

Edwards welcomed eleven new signings to Boro over the summer window, which includes Adilson Malanda who was loaned straight back to Charlotte. The likes of Sontje Hansen, who joined from Dutch side NEC Nijmegen, are just added competition to McGree when he comes back.

McGree can play as an attacking midfielder or on the left. Even already having Morgan Whittaker and Delano Burgzorg, the signing of Slovakian striker David Strelec could push Tommy Conway into another position.

Due to the sheer quality in his club's attack now, Fan Pundit Day is unsure of how much money McGree could possibly go for if the club look to move him on. "What fee we could get for him I don’t really know though, the demand won’t be high realistically, they’ll be knowing they’re getting a player that’s always injured.

"But, if you can get him fully fit, I'd love to see him part of the squad again. When he’s at his best, he’s one of the best in this division - I do firmly believe that," Day concluded.

Ultimately, McGree's estimated wage of £15k-a-week could be one of the big deciding factors in trying to sell the Australian if he can't come back fit.