The key positions Middlesbrough should be looking to strengthen in the final weeks of the transfer window

The Teessiders remain hopeful they can bring in another striker to provide competition for frontmen Britt Assombalonga, Ashley Fletcher and new signing Chuba Akpom.

Yet there are other areas of the team which still appear a little light heading into a long and arduous campaign.

Here are three key positions which we feel need addressing.

Right wing-back

This may be a specialist position, yet playing with a back three and wing-backs has become more common in the Championship.

It looks like Boro will operate in a version of the 3-5-2 system for the foreseeable future, despite Warnock’s desire to play 4-3-3 or 4-4-2.

Playing with wing-backs certainly suits Marvin Johnson and Hayden Coulson on the left, while Marc Bola also played on that side in last week’s Carabao Cup match against Barnsley.

On the other flank Djed Spence has made the right wing-back spot his own but appears to be Boro’s only natural option there.

Spence has surprised many with his impressive performances since breaking into the team in December, yet the 20-year-old is still relatively inexperienced at Championship level.

When Boro won promotion from the second tier under Aitor Karanka in 2016, the Spaniard made sure he had at least two players for every position and competition for places.

Warnock will want to do the same.

Centre-back

Despite their lack of natural defenders, Boro have started the season playing with three centre-backs.

New signing Grant Hall has quickly established himself in the heart of the Teessiders’ backline, while Anfernee Dijksteel has been one of the side’s standout performers in the opening two league games, impressing in a right centre-back role.

Paddy McNair has occupied the final centre-back slot against Watford and Bournemouth, producing a man of the match display against the latter, but would prefer to play in midfield.

Then there’s Dael Fry, a player who appears to have fallen down the pecking order after missing a large part of pre-season.

The 23-year-old will receive another chance this term, especially if Boro stick with a three-man backline, yet there does appear a lack of options beyond that.

Nathan Wood is still only 18 and would probably be suited to a loan move at a League One or League Two club to aid his development.

A playmaker

Boro’s lack of goals over the last few seasons hasn’t just been down to strikers not taking chances.

There have often been times when the Teessiders have lacked a creative midfielder or someone who can open up defences with a darting run or piece of skill.

In the system Boro have played this season, there is room for an attack-minded creator to operate just behind the side’s two strikers, a role which Marcus Tavernier has occupied in recent weeks.

Yet, despite his energy and work rate, the 21-year-old has struggled to make a significant impact in Boro’s first two Championship fixtures this term.

Once again it feels like the Teessiders need more competition in that area to provide other options and to get the best out of what they have.

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