Middlesbrough have had to cope with some rather mixed form of late.
As things stand, Michael Carrick‘s side are currently 9th in the Championship table, five points adrift of the play-off places.
That comes courtesy of three straight wins that ‘Boro have enjoyed in their most recent outings.
Prior to that however, Middlesbrough had been forced to endure a run of just one win in seven games.
Such a run could yet prove costly to their hopes of securing a top six spot, come the end of the season.
Yet despite that inconsistency, it appears there is a belief that some of the talent in the squad, could be playing much further up the division.
Pundit makes ‘top four’ claim on Middlesbrough quintet
With Middlesbrough now potentially back in the race for a top six spot, there chances of achieving that have become a topic of discussion.
Speaking on The Second-Tier Podcast, Ryan Dilks suggested they may have the talent within their squad to do that.
Indeed, he believes some of those players, may even be capable of playing for one of the four sides who are well clear at the top of the table.
Giving his verdict on Middlesbrough’s squad after Tuesday night’s win over Birmingham City, the EFL pundit said:
“You look at the team who started against Birmingham: Paddy McNair, Matt Clarke, Lewis O’Brien, Riley McGree, Marcus Forss, it’s a lot of talent, and experience, particularly at this level.
“You could go as far as to say that some of those lads wouldn’t look out of place if they were in the squad of a top-four side, in certain cases.”
Middlesbrough will be looking to further boost their hopes of a play-off place when they host Blackburn Rovers at The Riverside Stadium this weekend.
‘Boro have plenty of talent
It does seem as though Dilks may have a point with his observation here.
With the exception of McGree, all of those players he has named, have been signed for or been on the books of a Premier League club at some point in their playing career.
As a result, that pedigree suggests they could be more than capable of holding their own in one of the top Championship sides.
That does go to highlight the quality and potential within this side, to play at a higher level than they are currently at.
Indeed, there are also others within the squad not named here who have also played in the Premier League before.
The likes of Luke Ayling and Jonny Howson also have some significant experience of the top-flight of English football.
With that in mind, there can be little argument that Middlesbrough do not have the ability in their squad needed to break into the top six.
That ought to excite those connected with the club, considering what they should have the potential to achieve.
Meanwhile, given the way he has developed his reputation as a manager since arriving at Middlesbrough, it will be interesting to see if Carrick can back that up by taking this team to the play-offs at least.