Middlesbrough were in League Cup action against Stoke City on Tuesday evening.
Boro’s form in the Championship since the opening day has been quite concerning.
Middlesbrough drew 2-2 with Portsmouth this past Saturday, following on from a 1-0 defeat to Derby County at Pride Park.
Michael Carrick and his men have fared better in the League Cup though, securing a massive 3-0 win over Leeds United in the first round of the competition.
Boro took on Stoke City at the Riverside Stadium this week, hoping to put an end to their small winless run in the early stages of the campaign.
As cup competitions often are, Carrick used the Stoke meeting to hand some minutes to several players who are normally on the fringes of the first-team squad.
Summer signings Micah Hamilton and Harley Hunt were both afforded their first starts of the campaign.
Academy starlet George McCormick was given a run out from the off for the first time since pre-season as well.
Middlesbrough player wasted his opportunity vs Stoke City
The clash was an opportunity for the aforementioned players and several more Boro stars to impress Carrick.
With the transfer window open until August 30th, it may even have been the final chance some players had to show why they deserve to stay on Teesside.
Josh Coburn has been linked to Millwall this month while Middlesbrough could loan Alex Gilbert out before the window shuts.
Both players were in the eleven that started in midweek and while Gilbert performed ok, Coburn showed why he probably doesn’t have a future at the club.
The striker’s evening was summed up in the fourth minute of the game with a damning miss.
Law McCabe did well to find the aforementioned Gilbert, who spotted the run in behind from Coburn. The centre-forward beat the offside trap before running through on goal and dragging his effort wide.
It was an awful miss and may show Carrick why the 21-year-old is no longer needed at Middlesbrough.
Should Middlesbrough sell Josh Coburn
Coburn does offer something a bit different off the bench due to his height and size.
However, his finishing was not the best on Tuesday and he has now become the third-choice number nine at the club.
Emmanuel Latte Lath remains Carrick’s main option, while Tommy Conway is now a very capable backup option.
Coburn can still play at Championship level but his damning miss against Stoke could now greenlight a transfer in the final few days of the window.