Middlesbrough news and transfer rumours: Ravel Morrison becomes free agent, George Friend's message to Birmingham squad plus Djed Spence speculation

The 27-year-old signed for Boro last January but made just three appearances following a loan move from Sheffield United.

Morrison joined Den Haag in September but has now seen his contract terminated.

A club statement read: "The roads of ADO Den Haag and Ravel Morrison will separate immediately.

"ADO Den Haag and Morrison have decided to terminate the 27-year-old midfielder's contract by mutual agreement.

"Morrison signed for one season at the Cars Jeans Stadium last summer. The Jamaica international has a history with Manchester United, West Ham United and Lazio Roma, among others.

"ADO Den Haag thanks Morrison for his efforts and wishes him the best of luck in his further career."

Morrison has now been at ten different clubs since leaving Manchester United in 2012.

Friend’s message to Blues squad

Like Middlesbrough, Championship rivals Birmingham were knocked out of the FA Cup over the weekend after a 3-0 defeat at Manchester City.

Former Boro defender George Friend captained the Blues and wants his side to learn from the experience – starting with Saturday’s trip to the Riverside.

“I think in the first half we showed them too much respect and we could have been a bit more aggressive but they were fantastic at times as well,” Friend told bcfc.com.

“There are positives there we can at least create chances against one of the best teams in the country, so we have got to take that into the Championship now.

“We are out of both the cups so we have got to make sure we focus on that and get as high up the league as we can.”

Spence linked with Premier League quartet

Finally, a handful of Premier League clubs have once again been linked with Boro defender Djed Spence.

According to TeamTalk, Everton, Wolves, Crystal Palace and Newcastle are among the teams who have been doing regular checks on the 20-year-old.

There has been speculation surrounding the player since Spence made his Championship debut in December 2019, yet Boro boss Neil Warnock has urged the player to stay at the Riverside and continue his development.

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