Kim Hellberg tips Middlesbrough star Leo Castledine for the top - 'He has so much talent'
Kim Hellberg believes he has a special talent on his hands at Middlesbrough in Leo Castledine.
Kim Hellberg believes he has a ‘top player’ on his hands in Leo Castledine, tipping the youngster to reach the ‘highest level’.
Castledine signed from Chelsea in January following a productive first half of the season on loan at League One side Huddersfield Town, registering 12 goals and five assists in 26 appearances across all competitions.
Injury has somewhat disrupted his start to life at the Riverside Stadium. However, he still scored his first Middlesbrough goal in the recent 1-1 draw with Bristol City. What’s more, the attacking midfielder has averaged a very healthy 6.34 touches in the opposition box, 1.98 fouls won and 1.59 shots on target per 90 minutes, according to FotMob.
Kim Hellberg: Leo Castledine destined for the top
While Castledine might be a little frustrated at how his Boro career has kicked off, there’s been plenty of glimpses there to get excited about as he helps Boro try to get their Premier League promotion push over the line. That’s exactly why Hellberg is tipping the 20-year-old to make a bigger impact soon and elevate his game to a higher level.
“He’s been very good. He was very unlucky with the injury during a time when we don’t have so many training sessions because of all the games. He’s shown the quality he has when he’s coming off the bench. You can see the quality he has,” Hellberg said ahead of Friday’s crucial clash against promotion rivals Millwall.
The Swedish coach added: “I’m very comfortable knowing that he’s going to be a very, very good player - a top player - and he’s going to get to the highest level, I think. Because he has so much talent. He has everything.
“He’s a player that I really, really like. He’s been creating a lot of opportunities. And that’s even more impressive when you consider he hasn't trained that much because of the injury and then the lack of training around all the games. “For us, as soon as possible, as quickly as possible, we want to get him into a fitness where he can start games regularly. It’s just a matter of time and fitness."
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