"He can shine" - Exciting Middlesbrough claim made over Charlton Athletic transfer | OneFootball

FLW's Middlesbrough pundit feels Alex Gilbert's loan departure to Charlton Athletic is beneficial for the 23-year-old.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Deadline Day proved busy for Middlesbrough in the attacking department, with Michael Carrick's side aiming to bolster his frontline ahead of their play-off push in the second half of the season.

Loan deals were completed for exciting winger Samuel Illing-Junior, who arrived from Aston Villa after spending the first half of the campaign on loan at Serie A side Bologna, and former Leicester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho joined from Spanish side Sevilla until the end of the season too.

With an increase in attacking quality through the door at the Riverside, it came as no surprise that a few players left Middlesbrough in January too.

Deadline Day saw the loan transfer of attacking midfielder Alex Gilbert to League One side Charlton Athletic completed.

The 23-year-old adds an extra dynamic to Nathan Jones' side as they push for a play-off place in the third tier, but does it come as a loss for Middlesbrough, who themselves lose a player with real promise?

Alex Gilbert may have struggled for game time at Middlesbrough

We spoke to our Middlesbrough fan pundit, Jasper Hudson, about what he thought about the loan departure of Alex Gilbert to Charlton. He feels that a loan move for the midfielder would prove beneficial to the 23-year-old, who needs consistent game time to realise his potential.

"Going out on loan is good for him as it was clear he wasn't going to get much game time with all the attacking talent we've brought in," he said.

"There's still a really good player there, he just needs consistent game time and he's not going to get that at Boro.

"He's now at a level where he can shine and I don't see why he shouldn't be starting every game. Hopefully, he'll develop well."

Alex Gilbert will get the game time he needs at Charlton Athletic

Gilbert is yet to start a game in the Championship this season, and in the seven substitute appearances he's made so far this campaign, he's played a combined 70 minutes.

Regular first-team football has been hard to come by for Gilbert since leaving the youth set-up at West Brom, making just two Brentford appearances, and then 25 in a season and a half at Middlesbrough.

However, there's still talent and the ability to change a game in the 23-year-old, shown through his winner away at Hull City on New Year's Day, despite only being on the pitch for two minutes.

Additionally, his first league start for his parent club saw him contribute a goal and an assist in a 4-1 away win at Cardiff in May.

Gilbert will provide competition in the midfield in Charlton's starting eleven, currently occupied by Greg Docherty and Luke Berry and, given his age, there'll be added pressure on him to excel and make one of those positions his own.

Perhaps that added hunger will lead to an increase in performance, which will ultimately benefit both sides - with Charlton looking to make a return to the Championship this season, and Middlesbrough hoping to have a quality attacking midfielder for the seasons to come.