Micah Hamilton signing could spell danger for one Middlesbrough player: View | OneFootball

Boro are reportedly closing in on a deal for the Manchester City forward, and that could have Marcus Forss looking over his shoulder.

Middlesbrough are progressing with a deal to sign Manchester City attacker Micah Hamilton, and should they secure his signing, it could spell danger for Boro's Finnish forward Marcus Forss.

The Northern Echo revealed on Tuesday that Boro are confident of wrapping up a deal for the 20-year-old Manchester City forward, with the two clubs having agreed a fee, but that the Teessiders will not be paying a fee that is close to the £3.5m that had initially been reported.

A medical has been scheduled for the England youth international, and if things move quickly enough this week, he could potentially be available to make his debut in Middlesbrough's opening day fixture at home to Swansea City on Saturday.

Hamilton's arrival would be a major coup for Michael Carrick's side, and undoubtedly boost their promotion credentials, but could it perhaps push Forss further towards a potential exit in the future?

Football League World investigates.

Carrick has already confirmed that Forss will miss the opening of the 2024/25 season with a hamstring injury he's been battling since mid-March.

Forss has played no part in Middlesbrough's pre-season preparations, meaning that even when the time comes that he's passed fit once again, Carrick will likely take his time with him as he builds his match fitness back up.

That could be ripe for Hamilton to stake his claim to be ahead of Forss in the depth chart to the Boro boss in his absence, and if he takes that opportunity and runs with it, Forss could find it very difficult to wrestle his place back.

Hamilton can match Forss' versatile trait

Despite operating predominantly as a right-winger during his two seasons as a Middlesbrough player, Forss arrived at the Riverside Stadium having largely played as a striker from his time with Hull City, Brentford and Wimbledon respectively.

That versatility has been a key string in Forss' bow, as the other wide players Boro have employed over the last two years have largely been unable to play as a striker if needed, thus ensuring that he's always held a place in Carrick's first team squad during his tenure as head coach.

However, the arrival of Hamilton would see an end to Forss' standalone trait, as the young starlet can and has operated in any position across the forward line from his time with the Premier League champions, whether that be out wide or through the middle.

Throw into the mix the arrival of Delano Burgzorg this summer, - a wide player who can operate as a striker - and all of a sudden, the value of Forss' versatility within Carrick's squad must only naturally have diminished somewhat.

Forss' Boro contract could seal his fate

With Forss' contract set to expire in the summer of 2026, the Finn could find his Middlesbrough career in a perilous position come next summer, should his injury woes continue and Hamilton does indeed hit the ground running on Teesside.

Boro have already evidenced a preference to try and cash in on players heading into the final year of their contract this summer, with the club having been revealed to be actively flogging right-back Anfernee Dijksteel this summer.

If Hamilton does indeed establish himself as an important player for Middlesbrough this season, Boro may well conclude that the cons outweigh the pros when it comes to deciding whether to hand Forss a new deal in the near future.

Indeed, with the decision to allow Paddy McNair to leave the club on a free this summer, Boro have shown that they are willing to part ways with good squad players if they don't believe they are worth keeping on the books any longer.

Despite his injury problems being hard to ignore to would-be suitors, his production when fit and available is also difficult to overlook, with Forss scoring seven times in 21 Championship appearances last season.

That should ensure that he would still attract numerous Championship clubs should Boro decide to make him available for a transfer, netting the club a healthy return rather than losing him for nothing in 2026.

And so in what is possibly a make-or-break season for Forss in a Middlesbrough shirt, the mixture of a contract expiration looming on the horizon and the addition of a fellow versatile forward player in Hamilton, could spell danger for his future in the North East.