Chris Wilder gives update on James Lea Siliki’s situation at Middlesbrough | OneFootball

James Lea Siliki’s season-long loan move from Rennes to Middlesbrough has not gone according to plan so far with the 25-year-old managing just two league starts for Boro.

Siliki was part of the Cameroon squad that made it to the Africa Cup of Nations semi final stage and will be hoping that experience can trigger some improved performances at The Riverside in the coming months.

The central midfielder has not featured in the Championship under Chris Wilder and will have a lot of players in front of him in the queue when he returns.

Wilder did not want to give too much away when talking about Siliki’s potential first team involvement to TeessideLive.

He said: “He (Siliki) comes back at the back part of the week so we’ll get him in and assess him to see where he is, the load he’s done or gone through while he’s been away.

“It is quite difficult when they go away on these tournaments with the amount of work they do because obviously they are being involved in squads.

“Maybe he might be down on certain aspects from a physical point of view but we’ll quickly assess him and see where he is.

“As I say, he is with us until the end of the season so he’ll be part of the group.”

Siliki could add a wildcard option from the bench for Wilder in the coming months with Middlesbrough set to emerge from the chasing pack as one of the stronger sides within the second tier play-off places.

The Verdict

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Scott McDonald

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Second place is very much up for grabs with Bournemouth faltering in the last couple of months.

Sheffield United, Nottingham Forest and Boro look well placed to burst into the top six, with the likes of Blackburn Rovers, Queens Park Rangers and Huddersfield Town hoping to keep them at bay.

Chris Wilder’s men have been on automatic promotion form since Neil Warnock’s dismissal and they will fancy their chances against a Derby County side who may start showing some signs of desperation in their performances on Saturday, now just four points from safety.

Siliki’s time away with Cameroon could have done him some good in what has been a very tricky acclimatisation to the Championship this term, there is no reason why he cannot positively contribute to Boro’s promotion push in the coming months.