Middlesbrough:
Sam Greenwood, on loan from Leeds United, is in support

Greenwood made his debut for Boro against Cardiff City on Tuesday night and made a splash, with the 21-year-old hoping to do enough to retain his place in the team to face former club Sunderland tomorrow.

Carrick must decide whether to stick with Greenwood or recall Matt Crooks, but regardless of who gets the nod at the Stadium of Light, the Boro head coach has seen enough of the Leeds United loanee to believe he He can become an excellent player this season.

“Sam has done really well since he’s been here,” Carrick said.

“He’s still a little bit on track because he had a bit of an injury in pre-season. He hasn’t played many games yet, so we knew we had to develop him a little bit. He’s an important part of our group and we have some very good options up front.

“I was really happy with the way he played on Tuesday and I think the more you see him, the more things happen and he gets into the game, he’s found his rhythm and rhythm . The longer the match went on, he got better, was improving.

“Sometimes it can take a little time to develop relationships with new teammates. Training is obviously part of that building process, but minutes on the field cannot be duplicated. There are good signs for Sam and I’m sure he will have a big impact on us in the games, weeks and months ahead.”

Greenwood was not the only summer signing to impress in midweek, with Lukas Engel starring after a difficult start on Teesside and Emmanuel Latte Lath scoring a goal off the bench.

Carrick said:
“Of course, the results at the beginning of the season were not what we hoped or expected, but that has absolutely nothing to do with the new signings. It’s just about finding the path, finding our form, finding our rhythm.

“It’s great that the boys have had a good week. The team is getting stronger, we are improving, we are growing and we are definitely progressing as a team and as a group. “It’s really encouraging. I’m happy for these guys because this is a step forward for them and there’s a lot more to come.”

FIND OUT MORE

Garry Monk is expected to make a surprise return as manager in Italy, where he is reportedly vying to replace Andrea Pirlo at Sampdoria.

Monk, who spent just six unhappy months in charge of Middlesbrough in 2017, last finished as manager in 2020 at Sheffield Wednesday. But after being out of a management role for almost three years, reports in Italy claim he is seriously considering taking the helm of struggling Sampdoria.

 

Currently managed by Italian legend Pirlo, Sampdoria have had a poor start to the Serie B season, with promotion hopefuls sitting just 19th after one win and five losses. Although he only took on this role in June, Pirlo is said to be under pressure as the Sampdoria boss plans his departure.

And the reason Monk has been linked is because of his connection to new Sampdoria owner Andrea Radrizzani, who sold Leeds United this summer to complete his takeover of the Italian club. Of course, Monk was Leeds manager when Radrizzani first bought Leeds, with the Italian businessman calling Monk’s resignation so soon after a “shock”. Monk would soon be appointed as Boro boss following the club’s relegation from the Premier League.

SampNews24 claim the 44-year-old is on Radrizzani’s shortlist of potential Pirlo successors, despite his ‘shock’ exit from Leeds, his struggles since and his lack of experience on the side outside the UK. Monk’s entire playing and coaching career to date has been spent in England and Wales.

While Monk has