What Neil Warnock told Duncan Watmore before ex-Sunderland forward signed for Middlesbrough

Neil Warnock says Duncan Watmore has been a breath of fresh air since joining Middlesbrough on a short-term contract.

The 26-year-old forward has signed for Boro until the middle of January and made his debut during Wednesday’s 3-0 win over Derby.

Watmore was involved in the Teessiders’ opening goal as he assisted stiker Britt Assombalonga at the Riverside.

Warnock was pleased with the player’s contribution and says Watmore, who has previously played alongside Paddy McNair and Chuba Akpom, has been a positive influence in training

“It was smashing. I was ever so pleased for him,” said Warnock when asked about Watmore’s assist against Derby.

“He’s a lovely lad, a flash from the past I think. I know Sam Allardyce spoke really highly of him in the newspapers recently.

“To overcome what he’s done… it does help coming into a group like this though, and he already knew some.

“It was a few weeks before we could offer him a contract and he had quite a few offers from abroad that were financially better. But he knew he would fit in well here.

“I said to him he could only do his best. He can always go abroad in January if that’s how things work out. But he’s done really well here and hopefully he can continue to contribute in the coming weeks.”

Watmore and Patrick Roberts were both withdrawn in the second half against Derby and will be assessed for this weekend’s trip to Huddersfield.

“They were all shattered after Wednesday. Robbo and Dunc were both shattered,” added Warnock.

“I was asking a lot, but I felt like I wanted to put him on because I wanted something different against Derby, rather than having full-backs there.

“I don’t think anyone else would have got into that position for the header. They might have kept their shape, whereas he went and had the run and he got himself in the right place at the right time.

“We’ve just got to keep topping them up with fitness at the right time. They’ll get opportunities in the coming weeks with the games we’ve got coming up.”

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