Middlesbrough should have an eye on Scotland developments after disastrous Euro 2024 start: View | OneFootball

The Tartan Army got off to a miserable start, and could turn to a former reported Middlesbrough target to help them qualify.

Middlesbrough were among a number of clubs credited with an interest in Hearts and Scotland striker Lawrence Shankland in January, per HITC.

The 28-year-old was in fine form for Hearts once again last season, and is part of Steve Clarke's Scotland side hoping to become the first Scottish team to qualify for the knockout stages in a major tournament at Euro 2024.

For as long as Scotland remains in the tournament, his club career future will likely be put on hold. But once the Tartan Army return home, whenever that may be, Shankland will have a big decision to make regarding his immediate future.

With just 12 months remaining on his contract at Tynecastle, the Scotsman could be set for a summer exit, and Middlesbrough should take a look at rekindling their interest in the prolific striker.

Shankland could be available

According to a recent report from Football Insider, Hearts would struggle to reject a "really big" offer for Shankland this summer, after the forward's 24 Scottish Premiership goals were enough to crown him the league's top scorer in 2023/24.

That same report suggests that Glasgow giants Rangers - Shankland's boyhood team - are a potential option for the Glasgow-born striker.

Shankland is yet to sign a new contract with Hearts, despite being offered an improved contract at the end of the January transfer window, prompting speculation of a desire for change to only grow louder.

If he is to indicate that Tynecastle is no longer the place he desires to call home for next season, Middlesbrough may well be alerted to this and, at the very least, be tempted to test the waters in order to find out what sort of fee it would take to sign him.

Boro are in the market for a striker

Middlesbrough recently wrapped up the permanent signing of former Huddersfield Town loanee Delano Burgzorg from Bundesliga side Mainz 05, signing a four-year contract with the club.

Whilst the 25-year-old can play as a central striker, he is also comfortable playing on the wing, and appears to potentially be the versatile forward option that Boro were reportedly looking for.

The Northern Echo report that following the capture of Burgzorg, Boro are still searching for a more natural striker this summer, and are prepared to be patient in their pursuit as they wait for the right player to become available.

Head coach Michael Carrick saw his first choice number nine, Emmanuel Latte Lath, miss 16 Championship games through injury last season. As such, he wants a more proven goalscorer to be able to not only compete with the Ivorian, but to give his side a higher-quality backup option in case he misses time again in 2024/25.

Having been credited with an interest back in January, Shankland appears to be a striker that Carrick and Boro like, as despite not possessing the speed that Latte Lath does, he's a similar profile to Boro's star striker.

Shankland is a sharp, high-pressing forward who always looks for opportunities to pounce on defensive mistakes. But he's also excellent at bringing his teammates into play as well, providing a key link between the midfield and attack.

In fact, no striker had more successful passes (675), chances created (50), accurate long balls (40), touches (1,689) or touches in the opposition box (256) than Shankland in the Scottish Premiership last season - per FotMob.

This highlights that his game consists of so much more than simply scoring goals, as he's an essential part of everything that his team achieves from an attacking perspective.

It's this all-round game that will no doubt tick many of Carrick's boxes in terms of the type of striker he's looking for, and he could create a deadly partnership with Latte Lath that could fire Middlesbrough back to the Premier League.

Therefore, Boro should be keeping an eye on his progress at the European Championships, as he could both increase and potentially decrease his transfer value depending on his performances in a Scotland shirt.