Chris Wilder makes admission over Middlesbrough player’s future | OneFootball

Middlesbrough boss Chris Wilder has told Teesside Live that James Lea Siliki could still have a part to play for his side this season.

The midfielder is yet to play a minute of action since the former Sheffield United manager took charge at the Riverside Stadium and was told in no uncertain terms that he was free to leave during the January window just gone.

On loan from French side Rennes, Lea Siliki has only made two starts for Boro this season and has largely struggled to adapt to the demands of the Sky Bet Championship.

Now Wilder has stated that the player remains part of the group and should be willing to take his opportunity to impress if one comes his way before his loan spell is up in the North East:

“In January, nothing comes about and he therefore comes back into the group. It was nothing personal, it was just a decision that managers have to make.

“He’s here, so why wouldn’t we use him? Why wouldn’t he be available? We’re paying his wages until the end of the season and he’s part of the group.”

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The Cameroon international is said to have impressed the Boro boss and his staff with his attitude in training and it will now be interesting to see if he will get some game time before the end of the campaign or not.

He has been named on the bench by Wilder over the last two games.

The Verdict

This is a situation that always takes place when a new manager comes in and as a result there won’t be too much bad feeling between the player and the club.

They were happy for him to go during the transfer window but unfortunately nothing came to fruition.

He now has a chance to potentially get some vital minutes under his belt to keep himself fit, so it will be interesting to see if he takes his opportunity.

In short it is certainly a shame that this loan has turned out this way.