Chris Wilder offers words of encouragement to Middlesbrough individual

Chris Wilder hopes to draw on personal experience for Martin Payero ahead of the midfielder’s return to training. 

The Argentine is back from injury and will be hoping to force his way into the Middlesbrough team.

It’s been a frustrating season for the summer signing who’s managed just 12 appearances this season in the league, and he will be hoping he can make a big impact for the play-off race.

He’ll be able to draw on the personal experience of his manager, with Wilder being in a similar position with Sheffield United as a player in the early 90’s.

On the impact of a returning player, Wilder told Teeside Live: “There’s so many examples of players coming in to make a massive impact right at the end of the season. I had it myself as a player at Sheffield United.

“That just shows Martin that, from a personal point of view, there’s still something left in the season.

“Martin might have a big eight games to be involved in, you just don’t know. Certainly, having a player of the quality, class and personality of Martin back in and around it is great.”

However, it will be tough for Payero to get back into the side.

It would mean displacing one of Howson, Crooks and Tavernier who have shone throughout the season, but Wilder says he will be happy with the numbers available to him: “We need everybody.

“I want to have that luxury and those healthy options. I want Martin right on Matt [Crooks] and in every other position I want that competition too. Martin has to come back and put pressure on in the right way.”

The Verdict

It’s a huge run of games coming up for Middlesbrough. A finish in the top six would spell a huge turnaround as the season looked to be fizzling out for Boro under Neil Warnock.

However, under Wilder, Boro have