Middlesbrough got some underrated form out of player sold by Michael Carrick: View | OneFootball

Middlesbrough are once again in the hunt for a place in the Championship play-offs.

Under the management of Michael Carrick, Boro are looking to get consecutive top six finishes under the former Manchester United midfielder after finishing fourth last time out.

They went on to suffer defeat in the play-off semi-finals to Coventry City, but will be hoping to go one better should they reach the top six.

But one player Boro will have to do that without is Matt Crooks.

The 30-year-old left earlier this month to join Real Salt Lake in the MLS, after two-and-a-half years in the north east.

But his time at Boro has arguably been his best years in his career so far.

Crooks’ career took a while to take off

Crooks started his career at Huddersfield Town having previously been at the academy of Manchester United.

He would remain at Huddersfield until February 2015, when he had his contract terminated by mutual consent.

Three weeks later he would move to Accrington Stanley, signing an 18-month deal. He had previously been on loan at Accrington.

He would start his first full season at Accrington, the 15/16 campaign, very well.

His form would attract interest from Scottish giants Rangers, who agreed to sign him on a pre-contract deal in the summer of 2016 on a four-year-deal.

Only going on to make three appearances, his time north of the border was very unsuccessful. After spending the second half of the season on loan at Scunthorpe, it led to a move back to Northampton Town after just a year in Scotland.

His first season would end in relegation from League One, but the first half of his second season caught the eye in the fourth tier, scoring five goals in 21 league games from central midfield.

This caught the attention of Rotherham United, who signed him for an undisclosed fee in January 2019.

Jumping up to the Championship, Crooks took time to adjust to life in Yorkshire, but still managed to score three goals as the Millers were relegated.

But again, it was his first full season at Rotherham where he excelled, once again showing his goal scoring prowess from midfield. He scored nine goals in 33 games as Rotherham secured promotion straight back to the second tier.

He would contribute nine goals in 40 league games the next season, but it could not save Rotherham from relegation once again to League One.

Relegation saw a lot of sides take an interest in Crooks’ signature, and it was Middlesbrough who won the race to sign him in the summer of 2021.

Boro got the best out of Crooks

His time at Middlesbrough showed just how good Crooks is, and especially how versatile he is.

In his first full season, he scored ten goals in 40 league games. In his second, he scored seven and got a further six assists, and in his final half of a season, he scored three goals and got six assists.

It is always great to have a goal scoring midfielder, who can always chip in with one especially if the striker is struggling. Crooks was exactly that.

Not only was Crooks a central midfielder, but he also played for Boro in a central attacking midfield role, and even as a striker in the 22/23 season. He would score three goals in five games up front for Boro.

Losing Crooks in the centre of midfield will be a miss as they head into the run-in, looking for a play-off place. Long-term their midfield looks a lot lighter, with Crooks departing and the inevitable same of Hayden Hackney in the summer. It will certainly be something that will need to be addressed.

Overall his goal contributions throughout his time at Boro were severely underrated.

With that, it is no surprise that whilst Crooks was at the club Boro had been consistently around the top six.