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Middlesbrough would be wise to arrange a loan deal at the earliest for this budding 20-year-old star – Here’s why

Why Middlesbrough should arrange a loan move for Patrick Reading

Middlesbrough academy starlet Patrick Reading has opened up on his development through the various youth ranks at Teesside, his first-team ambitions and experience of training with the senior squad in an exclusive interview with the Hartlepool Mail.  

As per the report, the 20-year-old left-back finds himself in a promising situation at the club and is keen to make the transition from the youth ranks to the senior level by going out on loan to gain first-team exposure.

The arrival of Jonathan Woodgate and the subsequent restructuring of the entire coaching system has certainly broadened the pathway from the academy ranks to the first-team, with youth prospects like Hayden Coulsen and Stephen Walker enjoying involvement in the Championship early in the campaign. 

And Reading, who is also held in high regard by the youth staff at Boro, is optimistic about his future at the club. The 20-year-old was called up by Woodgate to train with the first-team during the club’s pre-season fixtures and he even made a few appearances, which clearly suggests that he is not too far down the pecking order at the Riverside Stadium. 

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The talented starlet’s stocks are currently soaring higher than ever following his international debut for Scotland U-21s during the most recent international break, where he started and impressed in his nation’s European U-21 qualifiers against Croatia and San Marino. 

Having joined Boro at the U-13 level, Reading’s rapid progress through the ranks saw him drafted into the U-18s in the 2016-17 season, where he made as many as 26 appearances in the U-18 Premier League. 

The left-back’s resounding success in his first full season at the U-18 level earned him a call-up to the club’s U-23 side for the following campaign and Reading made a seamless transition to a higher level at a relatively tender age as compared to many of his counterparts in the academy. 

The 20-year-old is still a prominent figure in Boro’s U-23 ranks and has already made 5 appearances in the Premier League 2 Division 2 this season under the stewardship of new coach Graeme Lee.

As a matter of fact, Reading has already made a total of 42 appearances for the club’s U-23 side since his debut a couple of seasons ago. 

Patrick Reading trained with Middlesbrough's first team during pre-season.

To put things into perspective, Patrick Reading looks like a real talent at this stage of his career and Middlesbrough should do everything in their power to try and arrange a loan move for the youngster as soon as possible. 

The academy starlet has trained with the first-team but he still needs regular minutes under his belt to get a proper taste of senior men’s football and a loan spell in League One, League Two or even to a non-league club could potentially work wonders for his development. 

That would, indeed, make the transition from the youth level to the senior ranks a lot quicker and also a lot smoother. Also, with Coulson, Marc Bola and George Friend competing for a role at left-back, the prospect of first-team football for Reading looks bleak at the moment, unless, of course, there is a severe injury crisis. 

Image result for patrick reading boro

As highlighted by the rise of Coulson and Walker in the first-team and the club’s move to bring in talented youngsters like Marc Bola, Anfernee Dijksteel and Marcus Browne in the summer window, the focus at the Riverside Stadium is currently on building a team around exciting young talents following the arrival of Woodgate at the helm of affairs. 

To that end, Middlesbrough need to keep up the good work of polishing a few gems of their own in the academy and a loan deal for Patrick Reading could pave the way for him to make a name for himself in the club’s first-team in the future.