Surprise reprieve may come for £2m Middlesbrough flop after Kim Hellberg squad decision | OneFootball

Forgotten Middlesbrough winger Micah Hamilton may be set to be given a second chance at the Riverside Stadium after Kim Hellberg's surprise decision.

After a strong summer of transfer business, Middlesbrough are widely viewed as one of the promotion favourites in the Championship.

It was an eventful end to last season for Middlesbrough that ultimately resulted in Wembley heartbreak, but the Teesside outfit signalled their clear promotion intent in the transfer market this summer.

Middlesbrough have Championship promotion dream after big summer spending

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After a fifth-placed finish last season, Middlesbrough were beaten 2-1 on aggregate by Southampton in their play-off semi-final tie, but they were handed a surprise reprieve when the Saints were kicked out of the final as a punishment for the Spygate affair.

However, they failed to make the most of their reprieve as they lost 1-0 to Hull City at Wembley, with Oli McBurnie's stoppage-time winner for the Tigers condemning Boro to a tenth consecutive season in the Championship.

Having missed out on promotion, Boro lost two of their key players in the early stages of the summer, with Dael Fry joining second tier rivals Birmingham City and Hayden Hackney making the move to Premier League side Everton in a £24 million deal.

Boro used the money from Hackney's sale to help fund their transfer business, with the likes of Radek Vitek, Ashley Phillips, Max Arfsten, Sebastian Berhalter, Rokas Pukstas, Kyle Joseph and Will Lankshear all arriving for significant fees, while Myles Peart-Harris and Amario Cozier-Duberry were among their other notable signings.

While the spending spree has given Boro one of the best squads in the Championship, it has pushed some of their existing players down the pecking order, and winger Micah Hamilton is one of those who currently finds himself out in the cold.

Micah Hamilton facing uncertain Middlesbrough situation after summer transfer disappointment

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Hamilton came through the academy at Manchester City, and it is fair to say expectations were high for him after he made his breakthrough for the Premier League giants on the biggest stage.

The 22-year-old made his debut for City when he started their final Champions League group stage match at Red Star Belgrade, and he took just 19 minutes to get on the scoresheet as he netted the opening goal of a 3-2 victory for Pep Guardiola's side.

However, he went on to make just two further appearances before joining Middlesbrough in the summer of 2024 for an initial fee of £2 million, potentially rising to £3.7 million with add-ons, while City also inserted a buy-back clause in the deal.

That suggested that, despite sanctioning his departure, City believed that Hamilton could have a big future ahead of him, but he failed to make an impact at the Riverside Stadium, and, just six months after his arrival, he was loaned out to League One side Stockport County.

Hamilton made just five appearances for the Hatters during an underwhelming spell at Edgeley Park, and after returning to Teesside, he featured just five times in all competitions for Boro last season, with the last of those coming back in early January when he was introduced as a late substitute in a 4-0 win over Southampton.

Boro reportedly allowed Hamilton to go on trial with other clubs this summer as they looked to help him find a new home, but having failed to secure a move elsewhere, an unexpected recent development suggests Hellberg could be set to give him a second chance.

Kim Hellberg makes shock Middlesbrough call involving forgotten man Micah Hamilton

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The fact that Hamilton was given permission to train with other clubs over the summer seemed to indicate that he was firmly out of favour at the Riverside Stadium, and he has not been included in any of Middlesbrough's matchday squads so far this season.

However, eyebrows were raised this week when it was confirmed that Hamilton had been included in Boro's 25-man squad list submitted to the EFL, meaning that he can be called upon between now and January.

In truth, even after Morgan Whittaker's departure to MLS side Colorado Rapids, it is difficult to see a path to regular first team minutes for Hamilton, with Cozier-Duberry, Arfsten, Joseph, Riley McGree, Jeremy Sarmiento and Tommy Conway all competing for places in the wide areas, while the likes of Peart-Harris and Leo Castledine would likely be preferred ahead of him in the number 10 role.

Despite Boro having plenty of depth in the attacking areas, Hamilton's inclusion in the squad does at least give him a small chance of resurrecting his career at the club, and Hellberg has previously shown that he is open to giving him an opportunity.

Hamilton had made just two substitute appearances in the first half of last season, but Hellberg caught Boro supporters by surprise when he handed the winger a shock start against Blackburn Rovers on Boxing Day.

Unfortunately for Hamilton, he was unable to make a mark on the game before being substituted at half time, and he featured on just two further occasions in the remainder of the campaign, but it seems Hellberg may be considering bringing him back into the fold.

As Hamilton does not even have a squad number currently, it still looks highly unlikely that he will be able to turn his Boro fortunes around, but his situation could be one to watch over the coming months leading up to the January transfer window.