Rob Edwards urged to take desperate Middlesbrough transfer action on player who "hasn't really done anything" | OneFootball

Micah Hamilton has remained at the Riverside Stadium past the transfer deadline

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…

Despite Middlesbrough's unbeaten start to the season, not all at the Riverside Stadium are bound to be happy with their current predicaments.

After a dismal end to Michael Carrick's two-and-a-half year reign on Teesside which resulted in a 10th-place finish in last season's Championship, former Luton Town boss Rob Edwards has been handed the reins and immediately looked to stamp his authority on the club.

It is clearly paying off for the 42-year-old thus far, only suffering defeat through a 4-0 home embarrassment at the hands of League One outfit, Doncaster Rovers, in the first round of the EFL Cup last month, whilst his side remain the only side yet to taste defeat in the second-tier and are still top of the table after Saturday's 2-2 draw at Preston North End.

Edwards has overseen a major squad reset during his two-and-a-half month tenure so far, with plenty of new faces coming in to replace a plethora of names deemed surplus to requirements as Middlesbrough look to regain their Premier League status for the first time since 2017.

However, some who may fall under the aforementioned category have remained at the Riverside following the recent closure of the summer window, which has only increased question marks over their current roles and immediate future when January comes around.

Middlesbrough FC 'surprise' verdict issued as Micah Hamilton remains at the Riverside Stadium

One of the names who many believe would fall into said bracket is 21-year-old winger, Micah Hamilton.

Hamilton moved to this part of the North East during Carrick's final summer in charge of the club last season, moving from then-Premier League champions, Manchester City, for an initial £2m, which has the potential to rise up to £5m, on a four-year contract.

Such is the potential that Pep Guardiola's side believed the England youth international could fulfil in the Championship, matching rights, sell-on and buyback clauses were all reportedly inserted into the aforementioned deal. However, such a hefty fee and those clauses look a far cry from being justified, just 13 months after Hamilton's switch from the Etihad Stadium.

The 21-year-old made just 13 appearances - only two of which were starts - in the second-tier last term before failing to make an impact on loan at League One play-off semi-finalists, Stockport County, during the second half of the season.

Therefore, it is unsurprising that Football League World's Middlesbrough fan pundit, Liam Day, believes Hamilton has to find another loan move to source regular gametime and improve his development when the winter transfer window opens.

"I was very surprised not to see him go out on loan, to be honest," Day told FLW, "I don't know if it's because there was a lack of clubs interested.

"But, with a player who, supposedly, had a lot of potential coming out of Man City's academy, I believe there probably would have been some clubs in League One that could've offered him good gametime," he explained.

"I feel like he needs it at his age. Especially after he came in with such high expectations and hopes, and he just hasn't really done anything to be honest.

"He even failed to break through at Stockport, which was really disappointing," Day added. "I think he needs gametime quite regularly, and not for the Under-21's. He's not going to develop too much at that level.

"At this stage of his career, he needs to go out and play first-team football. He's clearly not going to do that here unless major injuries happen.

"I do think he needs to go out on loan in January quite desperately."

Micah Hamilton needs to find January loan agreement away from Middlesbrough to aid future potential

As mentioned previously, Hamilton is clearly a player with strong potential, such is the agreement which Middlesbrough and Man City have in place.

However, his career is at risk of stagnating very early on if he is limited to appearances within Boro's Under-21 setup, and having already played at that level for the Citizens, it hardly benefits his overall growth.

With three years still left on his deal at the Riverside, the best outcome for all parties is a loan move in January, and one where the winger can showcase his versatility, quality and overall worth to a side after failing to do so at Edgeley Park.

So far this season, his only competitive minutes came through a 12-minute substitute cameo against Doncaster, whilst being left out of Edwards' five matchday squads in the league, which sums up Hamilton's current situation in a nutshell.