Middlesbrough: Sunderland defeat should have provided Michael Carrick clarity on Liverpool loanee decision: View | OneFootball

Ben Doak replaced Isaiah Jones in the second half of Boro's defeat to Sunderland, with his performance being a bright spark on a dismal afternoon.

Michael Carrick turned to Liverpool loanee Ben Doak to replace Isaiah Jones in the second half of Middlesbrough's 1-0 loss to Sunderland, and the Scotland international's performance should've provided clarity on what his role should be in Boro's side this season.

With just over an hour played at the Stadium of Light, Carrick withdrew Jones and replaced him with Doak, and the 18-year-old did his best to drag Middlesbrough back into the game.

The Boro boss had opted to once again place his trust in Jones to start the game, but despite delivering a cross that should've perhaps seen Tommy Conway open the scoring, the former Guyana international was largely ineffective.

Now that he has the highly-rated Liverpool youngster breathing down his neck for playing time, Boro's Wear-Tees Derby defeat could prove to be a watershed moment in Jones' Middlesbrough career.

Middlesbrough can have all the attacking quality in the world, - with Emmanuel Latte Lath and Tommy Conway both being top forwards at Championship level - but if the service into them isn't adequate, scoring goals won't come easy.

Therein lies the main issue in Jones' game, as he struggles to consistently make the right decisions and provide the quality service that Boro's strikers can thrive off.

As evidenced via the table above, Jones has been producing fewer and fewer successful crosses into the box over the last three seasons, with dwindling accuracy numbers too.

That hasn't improved through the first six games of the 24/25 Championship season either, with the 25-year-old completing just one successful cross with a 12.5% crossing accuracy through the first six league fixtures this term - per FotMob.

With no goals or assists in his opening eight appearances in all competitions so far this term, not only is he not providing for his teammates, he's not compensating for that in regard to scoring goals himself.

Carrick won't want to give up on Jones, who is a player who bagged eight goals and four assists in the second tier last season, showcasing the production and talent that he does possess.

But Boro have to find a way of turning their largely dominant performances into wins, and that may well mean taking Jones out of the side to see if Doak can provide the creative spark that his side desperately needs.

Doak hasn't made Boro move to sit on the bench

Arriving as a surprise bonus on transfer Deadline Day, Doak made a season-long loan switch to the Riverside Stadium, to the excitement of many Middlesbrough supporters.

With Premier League and Championship sides keen on securing his signature, securing a deal for the teenager was seen as a significant coup for the Teessiders.

However, in the two Championship fixtures he's been eligible to play in since his move to the North East, Doak has been limited to 22 and 28-minute cameos from the bench respectively.

That's still proved enough time for the Liverpool academy graduate to show what he's all about though, as he's looked sharp, direct, and crucially, he looks like a player that can craft that piece of magic to unlock stubborn defences.

In his second half showing at the Stadium of Light, Doak looked the most likely out of those in a Middlesbrough shirt to bring Boro back into the game. He provided numerous clever passes into dangerous areas, and an excellent back post cross that would've surely been headed home by Delano Burgzorg if not for a vital touch from a Sunderland defender.

Amongst the frustrated conversations Middlesbrough fans will have been having after the full-time whistle blew, many of them will have brought up the fact that Doak should now be handed his first start for Boro.

Stoke City return to the Teesside on Saturday, a month after they demolished Middlesbrough by five goals to nil in the Carabao Cup. With revenge on the Riverside menu, Doak should now get his chance to serve it up to the Potters.