Boro need a new captain this season and one man stands out as the top candidate

Yet it would be great to see Aidan Morris handed the armband on a regular basis, starting with the pipe-opener against Wrexham.

The gritty American shows plenty of steel on the pitch, allied to an ability to lead by example. He can certainly lead by example and inspire his Middlesbrough team-mates to produce their best.

I keep harking back to one game last season when Morris, who was not the team captain on the day, gave what was clearly an emotional team-talk when the players gathered together in a huddle before the kick off.

Morris already has plenty on his plate to try to fill the gap left by the absence of Hayden Hackney, but everything suggests that he can comfortably handle both roles.

Another thing which stands out was the fact that Morris was pitched straight into the Boro starting line-up when he was signed from Columbus Crew in the summer of 2024.

Boro immediately saw enough of him in training to believe he was capable of coping with the step-up to life in the Championship from the very start.

This belief was proved correct and, although Morris had to play second fiddle to Hackney in many respects, he made the defensive midfield position his own.

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With one season in the Championship under his belt, Morris stepped up to a higher level last term and was much more of a key player in the side.

His never say die attitude and his determination to win the ball at all costs brought him a few knocks, but he was always able to pick himself up and make the next tackle just as strongly.

He does remain more of a defensive midfielder, though he did get himself forward on many occasions last season to promote attacks. In this respect his all-round game has improved tremendously.

It would be great to see Aidan score a goal or two this season but it hardly matters as long as he continues to make a massive impact in the side. And if he does so wearing the captain’s armband, then all the better.

Middlesbrough are preparing for a big summer as they look to rebuild from the heartarche of missing out on promotion to the Premier League.

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