Having Muzzy Carayol back could make the difference between Boro finishing in an automatic promotion spot and a play-off place.
It’s fantastic to see that the speedy winger will be playing his first game since doing his anterior cruciate ligament at Bournemouth last April for the reserves against Scunthorpe on Tuesday.
It’s a well-worn cliche, but it will be like having a new signing in the Boro squad.
Muzzy has electric pace, he is very, very fast.
He’s a bums-off-seats player, the kind that fans want to see.
He creates a sense of anticipation when he picks the ball up that something is going to happen. And his goals to games played record is very good.
So I don’t see any reason why he can’t be a difference-maker in Boro’s promotion push when he is back up to full fitness.
When games are tight towards the end of the season, he has got all of the attributes to turn them into wins, either by scoring a goal himself or creating something.
There will be nobody more hungry for Muzzy to come back and make an impact than the Gambia winger himself.
As I’ve mentioned before in this column, I was out for a year back in 1985 when I played for Sunderland and it’s a really hard slog.
My glass is always half full, but when you’re out so long it can be depressing.
Psychologically, it’s a test.
But, on the other hand, it’s a chance to reflect and it makes you realise how lucky you are to be getting well paid to play a game that you love.
It’s also character building and it makes you want to come back stronger.
Muzzy will be no different.
I was part of his recruitment process when I was at Middlesbrough with Mogga.
We drove down to Dagenham and Redbridge to see him in action and we bumped into David Mills, another former Boro player who was scouting Muzzy for Leicester City.
He ticked all the boxes and the wheels were set in motion for us to sign him.
I think he took a while to adapt to the change in levels but he showed he could do it in the Championship before he suffered his injury.
He was showing some real glimpses of scintillating form.
As a lad, I think Muzzy can be high and I think he can be more sombre.
I think he’s a bit of a deep thinker. He’ll have gone through the full range of emotions while he has been out, just like I did.
But he will have done everything behind the scenes now to get ready for a game scenario, and will be itching to get back out on the pitch.
Some players hit the ground running when they return from long-term injury, while others might be concerned about taking the handbrake off too much for fear of breaking down.
I was a bit tentative the first few weeks when I got playing myself. Whatever the case is with Muzzy, having him back can only be good for the Boro as we try and get back into the Premier League.
No comments:
Post a Comment