Plymouth Argyle star offers Middlesbrough a cheap Paddy McNair replacement: View | OneFootball

It hasn't been quite the exciting season as 2022-23 ended up being, but Middlesbrough still harbor aspirations of being in the top six of the Championship by the end of the current campaign.

It has been a rather frustrating season so far for Boro, as they have struggled to hit the heights of last season, one in which they reached the play-off semi-finals.

It hasn’t all been doom and gloom for Boro, as they still have a chance of reaching the top six, but if it is to be achieved, the club may need a bit of luck.

Carrick has also led his side to the Carabao Cup semi-finals - an achievement in itself.

But should they not reach the play-offs, Carrick will be keen to make some fresh changes to his squad over the summer, and it seems he has his eye on defender Brendan Galloway from Plymouth Argyle, as reported by The Sun.

As mentioned, Middlesbrough are interested in signing Brendan Galloway from Plymouth in the summer, as reported by The Sun.

That is because the defender is out of contract at the end of this season, and therefore, Boro would be able to sign the former Everton man for nothing.

However, Middlesbrough aren’t the only side interested in the defender, with fellow Championship clubs Coventry City and Blackburn Rovers also keen on his signature.

Galloway originally came through the ranks at MK Dons, but as a teenager, he secured a move to Premier League side Everton.

The 27-year-old struggled during his time at Everton, making just 21 appearances for the Toffees, and there was also unsuccessful loan spells at West Brom and Sunderland during his time at Goodison Park.

Galloway would then go on to join Luton Town after leaving Everton in 2019, but again, the defender struggled for regular game time and departed the club two years ago, and that is when he joined the Pilgrims in search of minutes following a stuttering career.

Brendan Galloway could be a cheap replacement for Paddy McNair

Galloway looks to have finally found a home to play his football, as he’s become an important player for Plymouth Argyle in recent years - when he's been fit that is.

The defender appeared 14 times in his first season at the club before playing 18 League One games last season, as he was a part of the side that won League One and secured promotion to the Championship, but injuries have hampered the 27-year-old throughout his time in Devon.

During the current campaign though, Galloway has seemingly gotten over his struggles on the sidelines and got back onto the pitch.

He missed a chunk of the start of the season through injury, but since his return, he has played in 17 of the club’s last 18 league games on the left-hand side of a back three and occasionally at left-back, as well as appearing in all three FA Cup matches - scoring against Leeds United in a round four replay.

Of those 17 Championship matches, Galloway has started 11, averaging 61 minutes of football per game.

It is Galloway's defensive work that will catch the eye of Middlesbrough, Coventry, and Blackburn.

The defender has helped Plymouth keep three clean sheets this season, and as per SofaScore.com, he has averaged 1.1 interceptions per game, 1.3 tackles, and has recovered the ball 2.5 times per match.

Furthermore, Galloway has only been dribbled past 0.2 times and has had no errors that have led to any goals.

These will be all signs that Carrick and the Middlesbrough manager may see Galloway as a good option to replace current defender Paddy McNair, who is out of contract at the end of this season.

McNair has been at Boro since 2018, having signed from North East rivals Sunderland, and he has featured over 200 times for the Teessiders in that period.

The Northern Ireland international was starting pretty regularly earlier in the season following a serious achilles injury for Darragh Lenihan, but after picking up an issue of his own, the 28-year-old missed plenty of fixtures in December and January and was benched for a while upon return.

As things stand, there haven’t been any developments in McNair’s situation, so if a new contract isn’t agreed upon, he will leave at the end of this season, and therefore Boro will likely be in the market for a replacement.

That is why Middlesbrough could be looking at Galloway, as he is an option to replace the former Manchester United man and a cheap one at that, as he will also be a free agent.

The one concern would be Galloway’s injury record, but if he can stay fit, he may be a good pick up by Boro.