Middlesbrough captain George Friend waits on contract talks after impressive Sheffield Wednesday display

The 32-year-old defender is out of contract this summer and it’s unclear if he’ll be offered a new deal after making 299 appearances for the Teessiders.

A picture which emerged on social media last weekend, following Boro’s 3-1 defeat by Cardiff, of Friend sitting in an almost empty Riverside Stadium showed the player is still uncertain about his future.

Yet Friend’s performances in recent weeks - he’s started eight consecutive games as captain since Neil Warnock’s appointment - have shown he’s still more than capable at this level.

That would have seemed unlikely a month or so ago, given the defender had made just five league appearances all season due to a series of injury setbacks.

There was also a growing feeling that Friend no longer had the pace or endurance to play in his customary left-back role, the position he made his own during Boro’s 2015/16 promotion season.

In Boro’s first game since lockdown, a chastening 3-0 defeat by Swansea, Friend endured an afternoon to forget against pacey wideman Aldo Kalulu at the Riverside.

Since then, Friend has switched to centre-back following Warnock’s arrival, with the defender looking far more assured in both a back four and a back three.

Friend’s commanding performance against Sheffield Wednesday was arguably the defender’s best performance of the season, as Boro ended the 2019/20 campaign with a 2-1 win at Hillsborough.

Boro’s defence stood up to the physical battle against imposing Owls frontmen Connor Wickham and Atdhe Nuhiu, with Friend winning 71 per cent of his Aerial battles and 88 per cent of his defensive duels – according to football database Wyscout.

The Boro skipper also made eight clearances at Hillsborough, more than anyone else on the pitch, and could once again be heard barking out instructions to his team-mates.

When asked about Friend and Marvin Johnson, who will is also out of contract this summer, after the game, Warnock said: “They’ve both given me everything,”

"George has been fantastic for this club both on and off the field, and Marvin has done ever so well during the time I’ve been here.”

Both deserve credit after signing short-term waivers to complete the season even though their deals had already lapsed. Adam Clayton falls into the same bracket but played just 15 minutes under Warnock due to Boro’s greater squad depth in central midfield.

But while Clayton confirmed on Twitter he hasn’t been offered a new deal at the Riverside, Johnson and Friend may have done enough to impress after playing nearly every minute of every game under Warnock.

The Boro boss clearly rates the pair and has passed on his thoughts to the powers that be at Rockliffe.

“We’ve been talking all the time about players, and now the season is over,” added Warnock on Wednesday. “I’m sure discussions will take place regarding both players.”

Perhaps then we haven’t seen the last of Friend in a Boro shirt. His commitment has certainly never been in doubt.

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