Middlesbrough have Chuba Akpom 2.0 hope after recent exploits: View | OneFootball

It has been an excellent few weeks for Middlesbrough in the Championship.

Boro were beaten by Coventry City in the play-off semi-finals last season, and after losing star players such as Zack Steffen, Ryan Giles, Aaron Ramsey, Cameron Archer and Chuba Akpom in the summer, they made a poor start to the campaign, failing to win any of their first seven league games.

Michael Carrick's side have improved significantly since then, but inconsistency has plagued them throughout the season, and that looks set to prove costly in their pursuit of another top six finish.

Boro extended their unbeaten run to seven games with a 2-0 win over Swansea City at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday, with a double from Emmanuel Latte Lath securing all three points.

With five games of the season remaining, Boro currently sit eighth in the table, six points from the play-off places, and they have tough fixtures against the likes of Hull City, Ipswich Town and Leeds United to come.

Of all the summer departures, the most damaging for Boro was that of striker Chuba Akpom, who joined Dutch giants Ajax for a fee of £12.2 million after a remarkable season in which he scored 29 goals in all competitions.

Boro's summer recruitment focused largely on bringing in younger and unproven players, resulting in some of the unpredictability seen at times this season, and the lack of a prolific goalscorer has been a glaring issue for Carrick's men.

Latte Lath was the man tasked with replacing Akpom's goals after arriving from Atalanta in a deal that could be worth up to £5.6 million, and after a tough start to his time on Teesside, he is certainly beginning to find his feet at Championship level.

Emmanuel Latte Lath form is encouraging for Middlesbrough supporters

After scoring just once in his first four games for Boro, Latte Lath was dropped in favour of Josh Coburn, and the academy graduate kept his place for much of the next few months.

Latte Lath regained his spot in the team in November, but just as he was starting to establish himself as Boro's first choice number nine, he was forced to spend two spells on the sidelines with injury.

After returning to fitness in February, Latte Lath has been in strong form, scoring five goals in his last nine appearances, and his double against Swansea on Saturday takes his tally to 12 for the season, which is impressive for his first campaign in English football.

While Latte Lath may have struggled in front of goal at times, his all-round game has been important for Boro this season.

The 25-year-old's pace makes him a big threat to opposition defences, and while he is not the tallest player, he has excellent aerial ability.

Should Latte Lath maintain his current goalscoring form, he could be the one to lead Boro's promotion challenge next season, significantly taking the pressure off owner Steve Gibson to bring in a new striker this summer.

Carrick has been consistently supportive of Latte Lath throughout the season, and the head coach has been delighted with the Ivorian's recent performances.

"He’s good at that Manu - good in the air. I thought he defended a couple of the corners well too, which proves that. That’s ten for the season for him which, after a stop-start season because of a couple of injuries, and his first season in what is an intense league that isn't easy to come into, is really positive," Carrick told Teesside Live after Latte Lath scored a late equaliser in the 1-1 draw at Southampton last month.

"It’s a good return. He’s grasping the league and adapting all the time. To get a late goal shows that and is always great in front of your own fans. It’s a great step for him and I’m really happy with him. To put that performance in and keep going for the 90 minutes, I’m delighted for him."

Having scored 12 goals this season in an inconsistent team, it seems likely that with better players around him, and if he remains clear of injury, Latte Lath could easily reach the 20-goal mark next term, potentially getting close to Akpom's numbers.

Latte Lath is a striker that Boro should build a team around, and the challenge for Carrick and the board this summer is to recruit the upgrades in the attacking areas to provide him with the service needed next season.