Middlesbrough enjoyed a season of strong performances in the 2021/22 season and were unlucky to finish just one place outside of the play off places for promotion.
While certain players shined brighter for Boro than they had before, such as Marcus Tavernier, there was one such player who failed to make the impact either he or his club had hoped.
Irish striker Aaron Connolly joined the Teesside club on loan from Brighton but will leave with having made no lasting impression on the side.
Connolly managed just two heavily-deflected goals in his five months up north and after being given plenty of game time, would eventually lose his place.
As he returns to Graham Potter’s squad down south, it remains unknown whether Connolly has a place in Potter’s visions.
Former Ireland striker David Connolly spoke on the RTE Sport podcast expressing his concerns over his fellow countryman saying: “I have worries for Aaron in terms of where he goes from him...I think (Chris Wilder) would have given Aaron a lot of opportunities to impress him in games and in training. But he also doesn’t suffer fools at all. So it worries me that he didn’t have the impact that he would have wanted.”
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