Opinion: Man City talent should be on radar of Middlesbrough and Sunderland this summer following scintillating recent displays | OneFootball

Even though the January transfer window has only just closed, sooner rather than later some Championship clubs will be eyeing up the summer months in regards to the 2023-24 season despite not knowing what league they will be plying their trade in.

A regular type of deal that second tier clubs opt for is taking young talents from Premier League clubs to give them experience of men’s football as opposed to playing in under-21’s leagues, and the latest starlet to come through that path could be Manchester City’s Carlos Borges.

There is normally a few players in the Premier League 2 competition that find themselves too good for the level, with the likes of James McAtee and Liam Delap departing City to spend time in the EFL this season following their development squad performances, and Borges could be set to follow in their footsteps later this year.

The 18-year-old Portuguese winger joined the Premier League champions in 2015 from Sporting CP in his native county, with his breakout season coming for City’s under-18’s in the 2020-21 campaign, where he bagged 12 goals and a mammoth 18 assists in 21 matches.

Last season, Borges split his time between the 18’s and the under-23’s as he got to grips with the higher age group (one which is now the under-21’s), and the latter is a level he has how been ripping apart in 2022-23.

In 22 appearances this season across the Premier League 2, the UEFA Youth League and the EFL Trophy, which has given Borges his first experience of matches against senior English sides, the mercurial winger has scored 20 times and provided 13 assists for his team-mates, proving that he has simply outgrown that level of football.

It doesn’t seem like Borges is close to Pep Guardiola’s first-team just yet though, so a Championship loan move in 2023-24 is the most logical solution.

Even though we don’t know the identity of the clubs that will be in the second tier of English football next season, which of the current clubs would be a good fit for the teenager’s first experience of senior game-time?

Ideally, Borges will head to a club that prioritises attacking football, and you only have to look towards the North East of the country to see that two clubs look very good in the final third.

One of those is Sunderland, who have a transfer strategy to recruit young and talented individuals, ideally on permanent contracts, to develop and then either make them regular first-team individuals or sell them on for profit.

But the Black Cats are also prominent in the loan market with deals sealed this season for Ellis Simms, Joe Gelhardt and Amad Diallo, and it is the latter who Borges could be a direct replacement for.

Manchester United winger Diallo is surely going on to bigger and better things following his performances for Sunderland this season, and it will leave the recruitment team at the Stadium of Light looking for a replacement in the summer.

Despite Borges playing the majority of his games for City on the left flank, there is no reason why he cannot play the Diallo role by cutting in from the right on his left foot, or the other option is to put Jack Clarke out on the opposite side instead to accomodate Borges on the left.

Wherever he would play though, Borges provides similar pace, dribbling abilities and a nous for finishing as shown at under-21 level, and that’s why Wearside would be an ideal place for the youngster to continue his development.

Another location that could be ideal for Borges is just down the road from Sunderland at Middlesbrough, where Michael Carrick certainly has the Teessiders firing on all cylinders since his appointment in October as head coach.

Despite their fantastic form, you could argue that the wide positions in Carrick’s 4-2-3-1 are perhaps understocked – striker Marcus Forss is starting on the right-hand side of the three and Riley McGree is on the left, with Isaiah Jones and the soon-to-be fit Aaron Ramsey, on loan from Aston Villa, as backup.

Ramsey will head back to Villa Park in the summer though and Forss is an out-and-out centre-forward, so the summer will definitely call for at least one new winger to be signed.

Should Boro not make it back to the Premier League this season and they remain in the Championship, then Borges’ direct style down the left could be a potential upgrade on McGree and he could complement Jones or another similar type of winger on the other side of the pitch.

With 13 assists to his name this season, Borges clearly can pick out a team-mate, and Chuba Akpom – if he’s still at the club – should feast on that kind of service, that is if Borges can prove he’s up to Championship level.

We of course need to see who is in the Championship next season, but you’d imagine at least one of Sunderland or Boro will be plying their trade in the second tier next season, and would be good destinations for the talented teen.