Ryan Giles’s second coming at Middlesbrough has not gone as he’d have hoped thus far
With six games left in the season, Michael Carrick has assured Ryan Giles that he can still contribute significantly to Middlesbrough.
In January, following two prior unsuccessful attempts, Boro was able to negotiate Giles’ return. After the left-back played such a significant role in the first Boro team under Carrick, Carrick had been anxious to make it happen. To qualify for the playoffs, that team went on a fantastic run.
However, Luton Town entered the contest after going up and was therefore able to offer more money than Boro, hence Boro was unable to secure Giles’ return after missing out on promotion. After 18 challenging months at Kenilworth Road and Hull City, Giles returned to Boro on loan in January.
But looking to have taken a hit to confidence, Giles’ start at Boro didn’t do much to help that, as he scored an unfortunate own goal against Sunderland before being caught out too often at Sheffield United and subsequently losing his place. In the meantime, it’s Samuel Iling-Junior who has stepped up and claimed the left-back role for himself, after Giles was hooked at half-time of his most recent start at Swansea City.
It’s by no means how Giles was hoping his Boro return would go, having been so elated and emotional on his return. With the deal with Hull City a straight loan with no purchase obligations either, Giles is running out of time to do enough to ensure Boro pursue a permanent deal this summer. Carrick insists he still has more than enough time though.
“Ryan is really good,” Carrick insisted. “He’s trained fantastically well. He’s obviously champing at the bit to play, and he looks fit and sharp and is training well. He’s been great around the place, supporting the boys and desperate for everyone to do well.
“He’s going to have a big part to play. The squad is always massively important at this time of year. Who ends up playing and who ends up having certain moments at both ends of the pitch that has such an impact. This is when all the boys need to be ready, whether that be to start or finish games, for me, it’s just as important.”
The first task for Giles will be trying to displace Iling-Junior. While the Aston Villa loanee has played at left-back prior to joining Boro, he arrived on loan in January expecting to be a wide forward. But taking advantage of Boro’s defensive injury crisis, he’s put a tough start behind him to really cement his place of late.
On Iling-Junior, Carrick said: “Sam’s done really well. He’s settled and you can see that in terms of the football he’s playing right now. He’s still really young and it was a lot to deal with, in terms of changing country. But you can see the quality he’s brought, and he’s settled into the position really well.
Obviously the goal is a good moment for him. The Oxford game was particularly impactful for him as well, and I’m sure he can carry that on. We can all look and just assume he’s a footballer and this is how he should perform, or this is what he should get out of the other side. But it doesn’t always happen like that.
“That doesn’t mean you’re not trying or you don’t care, or anything like that. It’s just sometimes, for whatever reason, not just on Sam but anyone, it can take a little bit of time. Credit to him for his attitude – he wants to learn, he wants to get better.
“He’s played three or four different roles for us when the week before coming to us he was playing Champions League football. You can see though, he’s doing everything he can and his attitude is absolutely spot on. He’s been an absolute pleasure to work with and help develop. He’s got a really good chance of having a good career
