Leeds United loanee Sam Greenwood has been praised after his full debut for Middlesbrough on Tuesday night.
Greenwood was handed a 7/10 for his performance on his first start for Boro by the Gazette, as they defeated Cardiff City 2-0 at the Riverside.
The 21-year-old made the loan move to Boro in the final 48 hours of the transfer window but up until last night, had been reduced to just cameo appearances so far.
His usage so far will have no doubt left Greenwood feeling a tad frustrated, with the point of this loan move for him to go and play regularly for the first time in his career.
However, it appears as though Greenwood has done little harm to his chances of starting more frequently under Michael Carrick after his performance against Cardiff.
Leeds loanee Greenwood praised on full Boro debut
In their post-match player ratings piece, Gazette claimed that while Greenwood struggled to ‘connect with his teammates’ at times, he looked ‘bright’ and was the one looking to make things happen in the first half.
They wrote: “It was evident that it was his first start for the club because at times he just didn’t quite connect with his team-mates. There were some bright individual moments though, particularly in a tough first half, where he was the one at least trying to force the issue.”
During his loan spell at Boro, Greenwood needs to ensure he really nails down a preferred position after being used in roles that clearly didn’t suit him at Leeds.
Jesse Marsch opted to use him regularly as part of a midfield two, which he was just not good enough to do, with his strengths laying in the final third.
Greenwood started as a number 10 for Boro on Tuesday and at the moment that looks like his best position, but he will only improve if he is able to play there consistently.
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