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Samuel Iling-Junior is struggling to find his best form at Championship club Middlesbrough.
It’s been a rocky start for Aston Villa loanee Samuel Iling-Junior at Middlesbrough.
The promising winger saw has loan at Italian Serie A club Bologna cut short in January as Villa thought a move to the Championship may be better-suited at this stage. That’s not necessarily turned out to be the case, however, with Iling-Junior not starting as many games as Unai Emery would have hoped.
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Nonetheless, the tide is perhaps beginning to turn as the 21-year-old has finally forced his way into manager Michael Carrick’s plans, playing the full 90 minutes in the previous two Championship matches against Queens Park Rangers and Luton Town.
Boro had been gradually falling away from play-off contention but their form has impressed over recent weeks with three wins and a draw in their last five league games. The gap to West Bromwich Albion in sixth is now just three points and Iling-Junior is showing signs of becoming a difference maker.
Utilised in an auxiliary left-back role, the former Juventus man has used his pace and physicality to get involved at both ends of the field with six tackles made, four aerials won and four shots taken in his last two outings. He’s also set continue his run in the England under-21 setup during the upcoming international break.
Iling-Junior generates mixed review
The local press haven’t quite jumped on board with the rave reviews for Iling-Junior just yet, however, with Teeside Live’s latest player ratings - for the 0-0 draw away at Luton - suggesting the Villa loanee didn’t have much to offer in an attacking sense despite impressing in the defensive third.
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Given a mediocre 6/10 rating, Iling-Junior’s performance warranted the description: “Couldn’t offer much in attack and was slopping, sometimes even erratic, in possession. But he battled well defensively again and made two huge blocks to help Boro keep their slate clean.”
Ratings can often deviate depending on the overall result, so a six is perhaps understandable given Boro were disappointed to draw against the team second-bottom. Putting in two goal-saving blocks maybe deserves a rise to at least a seven, but a six is what was settled on.
Iling-Junior was better in the previous game against QPR, Teeside Live writes, with Villa’s £12 million summer signing displaying signs of improvement. “A really encouraging performance on only the Aston Villa loanee’s second start,” the report said, giving Iling-Junior a 7/10 rating.
“In at left-back, he attacked the flank really well and had some bright moments, setting up two big chances for Burgzorg and Conway. He did all of that without ever exposing Boro defensively, as he did that side of his role with minimal fuss.”
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Carrick could aid Iling-Junior rise
Named in the starting XI for successive matches, Iling-Junior has managed to displace Ryan Giles and he could continue to do so after the international break. Carrick seems to appreciate the Villa man’s athleticism and some tough physical encounters are coming up.
Following a week off for the international break, Boro return to action with clashes against Oxford United, Blackburn Rovers, Leeds United and Millwall in the space of 14 days. The squad will be pushed to its limits and Carrick will no doubt have to rotate, so it’ll be interesting to see if Iling-Junior can continue his run in the side consistently.