Jonathan Woodgate reveals how Middlesbrough have missed Manchester City winger Patrick Roberts

Woodgate isn’t putting any pressure on Roberts with the wideman expected to missing for the next couple of months and miss the bulk of the Championship run-in.

But the Boro boss admits he has been a miss as he can ‘create something from nothing’.

On Roberts, Woodgate added: “I don’t want to put too much pressure on Patrick.

“We have missed him with that link, that’s for the last couple of seasons I’d say.

“Morrison is a different type of player, Patrick is someone who can create something from nothing.

“Turn on a sixpence, dance past someone, that’s the sort of player who we are looking to recruit.”

Meanwhile, Lukas Nmecha came in for criticism from some fans after the defeat to Luton Town defeat but Woodgate has moved to defend him.

Woodgate added: “He came on the back of a loan from Wolfsburg and hadn’t really played much.

“He’d only played one or two games.

“Their training is a totally different intensity to theirs so the first couple of games we couldn’t give him the full minutes.

“I think he played four out of seven. He’s trying to get up to speed but it’s not dropping for him at the minute.”

Middlesbrough travel to Barnsley in the Championship on Saturday afternoon with Woodgate keen for his players to turn their recent poor run around.