Birmingham City defender George Friend reveals future Middlesbrough ambitions | OneFootball

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Football League World

·26 November 2022

Birmingham City defender George Friend reveals future Middlesbrough ambitions

Article image:Birmingham City defender George Friend reveals future Middlesbrough ambitions

Birmingham City defender George Friend has opened up about his time on Teeside, discussing his bond with Middlesbrough and his hopes for one day returning to the club.

Friend was a player for Middlesbrough for eight years and made 299 appearances for the club and still calls Middlesbrough his ‘home’.


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The defender was a fan favourite and arguably one of the Championship’s best ever left-backs for his exploits in the North East and will no doubt have cemented his place in boro folklore for his performances.

His time at the Riverside has meant he calls the town his home and revealed he fell in love with the club as soon as he walked through the doors.

He told Teeside live: “I was really lucky that Tony Mowbray was the manager. He showed me around the training ground. I was meant to go and see Ipswich and Nottingham Forest but I didn’t bother, I just realised straight away I wanted to sign here.”

Friend signed for Boro from Doncaster with many perhaps thinking he might not have gone onto have the career he did with the club.

But his time at the Riverside has stayed with him, as he looks to put roots down in the area for the next steps in his career, as he added: “Coming back at some point in the future is definitely part of [my plans]. I wouldn’t say I want to be a manager or this or that.

“At this stage, I don’t know exactly what I want to do, but I’ll always be in contact with Middlesbrough and I’ll always want the club to do well, whether I’m part of that or not.

“I want to keep all of my options open really, rather than pigeonhole myself as just a coach or anything else. Of course, it has to be right for Middlesbrough as well if I ever was to return.”

Quiz: 10 of these 25 Middlesbrough facts are fake – Can you identify them?

1 of 25

Article image:Birmingham City defender George Friend reveals future Middlesbrough ambitions

Middlesbrough was founded in the 19th Century

Real Fake

The Verdict

Friend is undoubtedly a legend at Middlesbrough. It’s rare you get a player with that level of commitment in the modern, especially at Championship level but Friend was certainly one of them.

He was as consistent as anyone in division, with his PFA team of the year inclusions a testament to that. He was a big part of the club during the 2010’s and that should be respected.

Should he go onto become a coach, there’s no doubting the possibiltity of a return to the club. Lee Cattermole and Jonathan Woodgate have benefitted in the past showcasing the strong bond the club has with it’s former players, so his return to the Riverside Stadium would surely be a popular one.

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