2023 recruit underlines all-round improvement in Middlesbrough win v Birmingham City: View | OneFootball

Sometimes patience really can be a virtue, and in the case of Middlesbrough's Lukas Engel, that sentiment is ringing ever more true with each game.

The Danish left-back was yet again one of Boro's standout performers in Tuesday night's 1-0 victory over Birmingham City, another display that evidenced the significant strides of improvement he's taken throughout the season.

He didn't have the start to his Boro career that he would've wanted, however, as Michael Carrick substituted him at half-time in what was only the fourth game of the season away at Sheffield Wednesday.

In an open and honest interview with local radio station BBC Tees, the 25-year-old would admit that: "Maybe in the beginning I was a bit afraid of being a failure and because of that I maybe wasn’t expressing myself in the way that I wanted to."

As it turns out, the very thing he feared he would become is the complete opposite of the player he's developing into, and is now one of the first names on Carrick's teamsheet.

His resolve was tested yet again in January, when Luke Thomas was signed on loan from Leicester City - a 22-year-old who has played 68 times in the Premier League, per FotMob.

Carrick momentarily allowed the loanee to take his place, but it was soon won back by Engel, who hasn't looked back since.

FLW takes a look at Engel's performance in numbers from Middlesbrough's Tuesday night victory over Blues.

Engel superb defensively v Birmingham

Engel's performance ensured that if Mark Venus' side were to have any luck against Middlesbrough's defence, it wasn't going to come from his side of the pitch, as he took command of the left flank.

In testimony to that, Birmingham made a double substitution at half-time, as Koji Miyoshi and Andre Dozzell respectively were both withdrawn after failing to get any joy out of the Dane.

His number of tackles won (3), interceptions (4) and recoveries (8) was bettered by no other defender in red and white from that game, per FotMob, as he continues to repay the belief that Carrick has shown in him.

It's easy to get caught up in Engel's attacking ability, but he is a defender by trade, and to witness the growth he's made from liability to reliability has been, in many ways, even more exciting in terms of the player he can become.

Engel also instrumental in attack for Boro

Engel was a constant thorn in Birmingham's side all night. Not only could they not get past him offensively, his relentless desire to get forward opened up multiple opportunities for Boro to take a firmer grip of the game.

The departure of Ryan Giles left a sizeable hole in Middlesbrough's side from a creativity standpoint, and whilst Engel's three league assists aren't close to those of his predecessor (11), his whipped low crosses into the box are becoming a real weapon in Boro's attacking arsenal.

There were opportunities to capitalise on some more of those on Tuesday night, and although they weren't capitalised on, it's no surprise to see Carrick's side looking dangerous with the former Silkeborg man thriving in a wing-back role.

Compared to players in his position from across 14 competitions - including the Dutch and Portuguese top divisions and the Europa Conference League - over the last calendar year, Engel is in the 92 percentile of players in attempted passes, and the top 73% in assists, per FBRef.

Engel is quickly becoming a fan favourite on Teesside, and with continued performances like the one we saw on Tuesday, he has every chance of being moulded into one of the Championship's most well-rounded defenders.