Finn Azaz has enjoyed the opening stages of his Middlesbrough career, but now he has outlined what would make it even more ‘special’.
Middlesbrough captured Finn Azaz for around £2 million from Aston Villa in the January transfer window after spending the first half of the season on loan at Plymouth Argyle.
The 23-year-old chalked up seven goals and five assists while at the Pilgrims and has since transferred that form across to the Riverside.
During a run which has seen Boro collect just two wins from their last seven Championship matches, Azaz has been a rare bright spark, scoring two and assisting once.
Hailed as “terrific” by Michael Carrick upon his arrival on Teesside, the youngster was highly rated before he even joined the club and now he’s delivering the performances to back up that praise.
Azaz has slotted into his attacking midfield role like a glove and has now revealed how comfortable he feels in red and white, despite only arriving at the start of January.
Finn Azaz reveals what would make impressive Middlesbrough start ‘even more special’
On a personal note, it’s been an excellent start to life under Carrick at Boro as he continues to take the Championship by storm.
As for Middlesbrough, they’ve endured an alarming slump of form that has seen them drop to 13th in the Championship table, 11 points behind sixth-place Hull City.
Carrick’s side have won just one of their last six matches since beating Millwall 3-1 in the middle of January, putting an end to their play-off hopes, unless there is a major turnaround in form.
Azaz has acknowledged that while he’s pleased with the way he’s settled into life on Teesside, it would be made even more special if the results were to match that positivity.
Speaking to the The Northern Echo, he said: “It’s been great so far from a settling in point of view, with all the staff and all the players being great. I feel comfortable, but it’s been so full on in the last month or so that there hasn’t really been chance to kind of take a breath.
“Obviously, the results haven’t been what we want them to be. Everything aside from the results has been great though. I’ve been playing and I feel like I get better with every game, but the results will make it even more special.”
What a signing
In this day and age, paying around £2 million for a player of his calibre feels like a steal and he’s proving that with his performances as he continues to stand out among the rest of the division.
As highlighted by FBref, Azaz ranks in the top 1% of attacking midfielders in the Championship for shot-creating actions, the top 3% for progressive passes and the top 9% for expected assist goals.
Statistically, he’s one of the best attacking midfielders in the second tier and he’s the type of player that Carrick must build his squad around in the summer.
And while he’s in the early stages of his Boro career, the way he speaks and conducts himself on the pitch is a sign of a player who is maturing rapidly.
Boro may be going through a difficult period with their results, though the saving grace has been the introduction of Azaz, who looks every inch a Premier League talent.