One Middlesbrough star has earned high praise after the club’s meeting with Cardiff City.
Boro were back in Championship action over the weekend, aiming to pick up their first win in three across all competitions.
Middlesbrough beat Swansea City 1-0 on the opening weekend of the 2024/25 league season before smashing Leeds United 3-0 in the League Cup a few days later.
After their triumphant start to the campaign, however, Michael Carrick and his team struggled to pick up points.
The Teessiders lost to Derby County at Pride Park thanks to an Isaiah Jones error before then drawing with Portsmouth – another team they probably should have beaten.
To make matters worse, Boro were then smashed 5-0 by Stoke City, with an unwanted Middlesbrough record set as a result.
However, the Reds finally got back to winning ways this past weekend when a Matt Clarke header and an own goal saw Middlesbrough beat Cardiff City 2-0.
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Middlesbrough star called ‘most underrated’ in Championship after Cardiff City
The result leaves Boro seventh in the Championship table heading into the international break.
Now, one Middlesbrough star has come in for heavy praise after his performance against the Welsh outfit on Saturday.
Aidan Morris shone vs Cardiff but it is another unsung hero who EFL pundit Ryan Dilks has now showered in praise while speaking on the Second Tier podcast.
Speaking on Clarke, Dilks called him the ‘most underrated’ defender in the Championship.
He said: “I think he’s such a good player. I actually think he’s probably the most underrated defender in the league. I’d actually say he’s one of the top five centre backs for me.”
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Matt Clarke is the most underrated defender in the Championship
While people who do not really watch Middlesbrough may disagree with Dilks’ claim, regularly watchers of the North East outfit should agree.
Clarke joined Boro from Brighton and Hove Albion in August 2022 and endured a difficult debut campaign, making just six Championship appearances as a result of injury.
Upon his return, the 27-year-old was only expected to have a fringe role under Carrick, which he did in the first half of 2023/24.
However, injury to Dael Fry allowed Clarke a pathway toward more regular first-team minutes and he more than took his chance.
The centre-back has formed a superb partnership with Rav van den Berg and was crucial to Middlesbrough losing just one of their last 12 league matches in the previous campaign.
In 2024/25, meanwhile, Clarke has continued to prove himself as one of the best defenders in the division, carrying an injury-hit backline while also being the club’s top scorer going into the international break.
Clarke may not get the recognition he deserves from neutrals but he is one of the most underrated centre-backs in the league.