Middlesbrough saw their hopes of claiming a Championship play-off place suffer another blow on Friday afternoon.
Admittedly, they did come from behind to salvage a late and respectable point in a 1-1 draw with promotion chasing Southampton.
However, that result means Michael Carrick‘s side are now nine points adrift of the top six. They also now have just seven games of the regular season to play.
It is therefore going to be a big ask for Middlesbrough to repeat the feat of securing a top six finish from last season.
Meanwhile, one player who was rather a source of frustration for ‘Boro in this latest outing, was Sam Greenwood.
A quiet afternoon for Sam Greenwood
With the likes of Marcus Forss and Riley McGree out due to injury, Greenwood was restored to the Middlesbrough XI for the trip to St Mary’s.
However, the on loan Leeds United man struggled to make much of an impact against Southampton.
Writing about Greenwood’s performance against the Saints, The Teeside Gazette simply said:
“Unable to have any influence in the game whatsoever.”
Indeed, according to SofaScore, Greenwood, who was on the pitch for Middlesbrough for 75 minutes of the game, mustered just one shot, which was blocked.
He also completed just ten passes, less than any other player who started the game for ‘Boro, and failed to attempt a single dribble.
The 22-year-old also lost both of the two duels he was involved in, and conceded possession on six occasions.
As a result, Carrick and Middlesbrough now look to have been given a clear message when it comes to one particular summer transfer decision.
Middlesbrough should not pursue permanent Sam Greenwod deal
As part of his loan move, ‘Boro have the option to sign Greenwood on a permanent basis in this summer’s transfer window.
To do so would cost the club around £1.5million. There has therefore been plenty of debate recently about whether that is a deal worth doing.
But after a performance such as this, it is hard to imagine Middlesbrough and Carrick wanting to pursue such a deal.
If they are indeed to miss out on the play-offs over the next few weeks, they will be aiming to go one better next season.
In order to do that, they will of course have to improve their squad to make themselves more competitive.
As a player who has failed to have any sort of impact on a big game such as this one, Greenwood does look like a clear candidate to be moved on.
Indeed, he has struggled to make an impact throughout the season. So far he has scored just five goals, and provided three assists, in 32 Championship games for Middlesbrough.
That is a rather disappointing return for someone such as him who is playing in an attacking role.
Consequently, it does not seem as though ‘Boro can justify spending that money on him, especially when it has been suggested they will be working on a limited budget in the summer.
That may mean Carrick would prefer to see what money he does have, spent on a player who can make a better impact for his side.
With that in mind, it does seem like it would be a surprise to see Greenwood back in a Middlesbrough shirt again next season.